Alan Cartmell

Alan Cartmell is a Senior Lecturer in Microbial Biochemistry at the University of York's Department of Biology, affiliated with the York Structural Biology Laboratory (YSBL) and York Biomedical Research Institute (YBRI). He completed his PhD at Newcastle University, followed by postdoctoral research at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and the University of Melbourne. His work focuses on carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes), particularly bacterial carbohydrate sulfatases involved in gut microbiota metabolism of sulfated host glycans, with implications for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer. He holds a Wellcome Career Development Award (2023) for research on mucin metabolism and inhibitor development.

Education:

• PhD in Microbial Biochemistry, Newcastle University

Research Interests:

• Structure-function relationships of CAZymes
• Host-microbiota interactions in gut health/disease
• Development of small molecule inhibitors targeting sulfatases
• Multidisciplinary approaches combining enzymology, structural biology, and high-throughput screening

Articles Overview:

• Recent work explores sulfatase specificity, mucin degradation mechanisms, and inhibitor design
• Highlights include discovery of critical bacterial enzymes for colonic colonization and IBD links

Awards:

• Wellcome Career Development Award (2023)
• JDRF Postdoctoral Fellowship

Teaching & Labs:

• Research-led teaching on glycobiology applications in biotechnology and medicine
• Laboratory projects focus on ongoing research in CAZymes and microbiome interactions