Mark Banfield

Dr. Mark Banfield is a structural biologist at Newcastle University, focusing on metalloprotein structure-function relationships and bacterial pathogenesis. His work spans metal coordination in cupredoxins, ferric binding in cyanobacteria, and virulence protein architecture in Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli.

• Key research areas: Structural Biology, Metalloproteins, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Protein Engineering, Molecular Biology, Metal Homeostasis
• Notable collaborations: with Wendy Smith, Christopher Dennison, Paul Race, and others on metal binding and bacterial virulence

His structural studies on pilus subunits and sortase A provide insights into host-pathogen interactions. Recent work on loop length and aromatic interactions highlights design principles for metalloprotein active sites. Current efforts include exploring phosphorylation effects in virulence proteins and metal specificity in folding environments.