Forster lab

We work on protein synthesis, synthetic biology and drug discovery.

Welcome to our external homepage

Popular science presentation

Proteins are the main active and structural molecules of life. They are synthesized from 20 different amino acids by a machine called the ribosome in a complicated process that is central to growth and indeed all of biology. Protein synthesis in bacteria is the major target of antibiotics, and antibiotic discovery has again become a major health research priority because of mounting antibiotic resistance. Protein synthesis is also fundamental to biomedical research and biotechnology (e.g. for synthesis of enzyme, hormone and antibody proteins). Applications can be expanded through use of synthetic biology, cell-free protein synthesis and incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins. Improved knowledge of protein synthesis should be important for making protein mutants, for protein structural studies and for drug discovery by directed evolution of short proteins containing unnatural amino acids (peptidomimetics). Unnatural amino acids are common and desirable components of drugs because they resist rapid degradation by the body and enable transport to the inside of cells, thereby increasing the activity of the drug and the accessible range of drug targets.

Our front cover image shows an unnatural amino acid substrate (multicoloured at bottom left), the ribosome machine (middle), and one of the ribosome's protein products (multicoloured at right) bound to a transfer RNA (orange). Image designed by Jinfan Wang and Jiekun Zhang.Bildtext

Research projects

Synthetic biology, protein synthesis and drug discovery

SynBio is a creative new field defined as the complex engineering of replicating systems. It encompasses next-generation technology for bioengineering and fresh approaches to global challenges such as drug discovery and biofuels.

Our current projects include:

  1. Improving ribosomal incorporation of unnatural amino acids for investigating translation mechanism and for applications such as directed evolution of peptidomimetic drugs.
  2. Development of chromoproteins as reporters and for biosensor diagnostics.
  3. Understanding and improving transcription termination.
  4. Improving vaccines via synthetic biology.
  5. Determining functions of ribosomal RNA modifications towards synthesis of the ribosome and self-replication.

More information at our external homepage

Group members

Research leader: Anthony Forster

People

Professor Anthony C. Forster, M.D., Ph.D.
University Chair in Chemical Biology

Biography: Anthony C. Forster (Ph.D. Biochem., U. Adelaide; M.D., Harvard U.) researches RNA, protein synthesis and applications thereof (synthetic biology). He discovered the hammerhead catalytic RNA structure, invented external guide sequences for ribonuclease P, and created unnatural genetic codes de novo, all of which founded biotech companies. He has published in journals including Cell, Nature and Science, edited volumes of Methods and Biotechnology J., and coauthored "Synthetic Biology: A Lab Manual."

Michael Pavlov, Ph.D.
Research Engineer for Molecular Biology program

Letian Bao, M.Sc.
Ph.D. Student

Mariia Novoshinskaia, B.Sc.
Erasmus M.Sc. Student

Sadat Chowdhury, B.Sc.
Research Training Student

Caroline Normann, B.Sc.
Research Training Student

Fowler, Raymond
Technician for Molecular Biology program

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