Dr Richard Sessions

Summary

Molecular Modelling in Biochemistry

Molecular modelling is a very useful tool in the design and interpretation of experiments. This is well recognised in Bristol, where most research groups have used this technique, to a greater or lesser extent.

Molecular modelling can also be thought of as a subset of Bioinformatics and, as we pass into the "post-genomic sequence era", this field will play an ever more important role in scientific research.

Computer hardware advances continue to follow Moore’s law, formulated in the 1960s, which states that machine speed’s roughly double every 18 months. This is allowing the application of evermore sophisticated modelling techniques to routine problems. The following molecular modelling techniques and projects are actively pursued in the School of Biochemistry:

• homology modelling
• ligand/drug design
• mutant design
• molecular mechanics/dynamics
• semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations
• protein structure prediction.

More information about my research.

More information about the Bristol University Docking Engine (BUDE).

Teaching

Biophysics and Molecular Life Sciences II

MSc Core Skills

Expertise

Molecular Modelling in Biochemistry. Molecular modelling is a very useful tool in the design and interpretation of experiments. This is well recognised in Bristol, where most research groups have used this technique, to a greater or lesser extent. Molecular modelling can also be thought of as a subset of Bioinformatics and, as we pass into the "post-genomic sequence era", this field will play an ever more important role in scientific research. Computer hardware advances continue to follow Moore?s law, formulated in the 1960?s, which states that machine speed?s roughly double every 18 months. This is allowing the application of evermore sophisticated modelling techniques to routine problems. The following molecular modelling techniques and projects are actively pursued in this department: homology modelling; ligand/drug design; mutant design; molecular mechanics/dynamics; semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations; protein structure prediction.

Memberships

Organisations

School of Biochemistry

Other sites

• Biochemistry

Recent publications

• Oliveira, ASF, Shoemark, DK, Campello, HR, Wonnacott, S, Gallagher, T, Sessions, RB & Mulholland, AJ, 2019, ‘Identification of the Initial Steps in Signal Transduction in the α4β2 Nicotinic Receptor: Insights from Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Simulations’. Structure, vol 27., pp. 1171-1183.e3
• Shoemark, DK, Ibarra, AA, Ross, JF, Beesley, JL, Bray, HE, Mosayebi, M, Linden, N, Liverpool, TB, McIntosh-Smith, SN, Woolfson, DN & Sessions, RB, 2019, ‘The dynamical interplay between a megadalton peptide nanocage and solutes probed by microsecond atomistic MD; Implications for design’. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, vol 21., pp. 137-147
• Smith, S, Sessions, R, Shoemark, D, Williams, C, Ebrahimighaei, R, McNeill, M, Crump, M, McKay, TR, Harris, G, Newby, A & Bond, M, 2019, ‘Anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of a novel YAP-TEAD interaction inhibitor identified using in silico molecular docking’. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, vol 62., pp. 1291-1305
• Dekan, Z, Sianati, S, Yousuf, A, Sutcliffe, K, Gillis, A, Mallet, C, Singh, P, Jin, A, Wang, A, Mohammadi, S, Stewart, M, Ratnayake, R, Fontaine, F, Lacey, E, Piggott, A, Du, Y, Canals, M, Sessions, RB, Kelly, EP, Capon, R, Alewood, P & Christie, MJ, 2019, ‘A tetrapeptide class of biased analgesics from an Australian fungus targets the μ-opioid receptor’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
• Landin, E, Lovera, S, Fabritiis, Gd, Kelm, S, Mercier, J, McMillan, D, Sessions, R, Taylor, RJ, Sands, Z, Joedicke, L & Crump, M, 2019, ‘The Aminotriazole Antagonist Cmpd-1 Stabilises a Novel Inactive State of the Adenosine 2A Receptor’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol 58., pp. 9399-9403
• Morris, KL, Jones, JR, Halebian, M, Wu, S, Baker, M, Armache, J-P, Ibarra, AA, Sessions, RB, Cameron, AD, Cheng, Y & Smith, CJI, 2019, ‘Cryo-EM of multiple cage architectures reveals a universal mode of clathrin self assembly’. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, vol 26., pp. 890 - 898
• Ibarra, AA, Bartlett, GJ, Hegedüs, Z, Dutt, S, Hobor, F, Horner, KA, Hetherington, K, Spence, K, Nelson, A, Edwards, TA, Woolfson, DN, Sessions, RB & Wilson, AJ, 2019, ‘Predicting and Experimentally Validating Hot-spot Residues at Protein-Protein Interfaces’. ACS Chemical Biology.
• Gregson, CL, Bergen, DJM, Leo, P, Sessions, RB, Wheeler, L, Hartley, A, Youlten, SE, Croucher, PI, McInerney-Leo, AM, Fraser, WD, Tang, J, Anderson, L, Marshall, M, Sergot, L, Paternoster, L, Smith, GD, Brown, MA, Hammond, C, Kemp, JP, Tobias, JH, Duncan, EL & , 2019, ‘A rare mutation in SMAD9 associated with high bone mass identifies the SMAD-dependent BMP signalling pathway as a potential anabolic target for osteoporosis’. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
• Small, LS, Zuckermann, MJ, Sessions, R, Curmi, PMG, Linke, H, Forde, NR & Bromley, EHC, 2019, ‘The bar-hinge motor: a synthetic protein design exploiting conformational switching to achieve directional motility’. New Journal of Physics, vol 21.
• Lalaurie, CJ, Dufour, V, Meletiou, A, Ratcliffe, S, Harland, A, Wilson, O, Vamasiri, C, Shoemark, DK, Williams, C, Arthur, CJ, Sessions, RB, Crump, MP, Anderson, JL & Curnow, P, 2018, ‘The de novo design of a biocompatible and functional integral membrane protein using minimal sequence complexity’. Scientific Reports, vol 8.

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system