معرفی
Louise Walport is a Lecturer in the Chemistry Department at Imperial College London and a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute. She established her lab at the Francis Crick Institute in 2018 with a joint appointment at Imperial College London, where she leads research at the intersection of chemical biology, structural biology, and epigenetics.
Dr. Walport obtained her MChem Chemistry from Magdalen College, University of Oxford in 2009, followed by a DPhil in Chemical Biology from the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford in 2014. Her doctoral research, supervised by Prof. Chris Schofield and Prof. Christina Redfield, focused on the structure and function of 'reader' and 'eraser' proteins involved in epigenetics using biochemical and structural techniques. After completing her PhD, she conducted further postdoctoral work at Oxford before receiving a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship to work in Japan for two years in the laboratory of Hiroaki Suga at the University of Tokyo, with an additional return year in Chris Schofield's laboratory at Oxford.
Dr. Walport's research primarily focuses on chemical biology approaches to understand and manipulate protein function, with particular emphasis on epigenetic regulators including histone demethylases and peptidyl arginine deiminases (PADIs). Her lab employs a range of techniques including structural biology, biochemical assays, and innovative peptide engineering approaches such as mRNA display to develop cyclic peptide inhibitors and probes for challenging protein targets. This work has significant implications for understanding fundamental biological processes and developing new therapeutic strategies for diseases including cancer and autoimmune disorders.
Her publication record shows a clear trajectory toward developing chemical tools for epigenetic mechanisms, with increasing emphasis on cyclic peptide technologies for targeting protein-protein interactions that have traditionally been considered 'undruggable.' Recent publications demonstrate her lab's expertise in applying mRNA display and other high-throughput techniques to discover and optimize cyclic peptide binders for epigenetic reader domains, particularly bromodomains and peptidyl arginine deiminases.
Scientific awards and recognition:
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship
Dr. Walport has established a productive research program with numerous collaborations across institutions including the University of Tokyo, University of Oxford, and various groups within the Francis Crick Institute. Her lab utilizes facilities including Structural Biology, Chemical Biology, Proteomics, Flow Cytometry, Light Microscopy, Genomics, and Genetic Modification services at the Francis Crick Institute to pursue their interdisciplinary research program. She mentors multiple researchers in her dual-lab setup between the Crick Institute and Imperial College London.
