معرفی
Professor Mathew H Horrocks is a Personal Chair of Biophysics at the School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, where he leads the Edinburgh Single-Molecule Biophysics (ESMB) Group within the Centre for Inflammation Research. His research focuses on applying single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy techniques to address fundamental biological questions, with particular emphasis on neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases.
Horrocks' research interests span multiple cutting-edge areas:
- Development and application of single-molecule microscopy techniques to study individual protein molecules
- Super-resolution imaging of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
- Characterization of amyloid oligomers, which are recognized as the main pathogenic species in protein misfolding diseases
- Visualization of protein dynamics below the diffraction limit of light in test-tubes, cells, and tissue samples
- Application of advanced microscopy to cardiovascular disease research
His recent publications demonstrate a strong methodological focus on advancing microscopy techniques to study protein behavior at unprecedented resolution, particularly in the context of neurodegeneration. His work bridges chemistry, physics, and biology to develop novel approaches for visualizing cellular processes previously inaccessible with conventional microscopy methods.
Horrocks has received significant recognition for his contributions to analytical chemistry:
- Royal Society of Chemistry Joseph Black Award for Analytical Chemistry (2022)
He currently supervises eight PhD students and multiple postdoctoral researchers, and his laboratory is supported by substantial funding from Target ALS, UCB Biopharma, BHF, ARUK, MRC, NIH, and Medical Research Scotland. His group maintains extensive collaborations across disciplines, working with neuroscience, chemistry, and clinical medicine researchers to address fundamental questions in protein biology and disease mechanisms.
The Edinburgh Single-Molecule Biophysics Group operates state-of-the-art microscopy facilities that enable groundbreaking research on protein dynamics at the single-molecule level, contributing significantly to our understanding of molecular processes in health and disease.
