معرفی
Professor Jon Waltho holds the Gibson Chair in Biophysics at the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. His research focuses on using high-field NMR spectroscopy to analyze protein structure, folding, and function, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, CJD, and BSE. He investigates how phosphoryl transfer enzymes achieve extreme catalytic efficiency (up to 1020-fold rate enhancement) through geometrical precision, charge balance, and hydrogen bond control.
His career includes prior professorial roles at the University of Manchester (2008), a Personal Chair in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (1999), and a Lister Institute Research Fellowship (1996). Recent studies highlight the role of stefin A and B in amyloid formation, with implications for developing small-molecule pharmaceuticals. Publications from 2017–2025 reveal trends in
- phosphoryl transfer enzyme mechanisms
- transition state analogues
- metal fluoride complexes
- prion protein structural transitions
- conformational dynamics of oncogenic Myc
- allomorphic enzyme regulation
Scientific Awards
- Gibson Chair in Biophysics (2009)
- Lister Institute Research Fellowship (1996)
He teaches advanced modules like MBB302 Physical Methods for Studying Biological Structures and MBB310 Assembly of Supramolecular Structures, emphasizing structural techniques and protein dynamics.
