Levy, Raphael - University of Liverpool - Department of Biochemistry

个人简介

My research focuses on nanoparticles, their structure, and applications, in particular for biological imaging, from single molecule/particle to tracking of cells in preclinical models. My field of research is an exciting one with a lot of potential (which we and others are trying to tap) but also a tendency to extraordinary exaggeration of results findings which has led me to think a lot about the practice of science and how we can improve the robustness of the scientific record. That thinking has been particularly stimulated by two controversies that largely center around the (unproven in my view) ability of nanoparticles to reach the cytosol of cells. The first controversy challenges the evidence for the existence and properties of stripy nanoparticles whilst the second (ongoing) relates to the intracellular access of spherical nucleic acids and their claimed ability to detect or block mRNAs. Short CV: I obtained my PhD in physics at the University Louis Pasteur (France) working on polymer adsorption with the Atomic Force Microscope (2002). I moved to Liverpool for a post-doctoral fellowship with Dave Fernig and Mathias Brust where we designed peptides as capping agents for gold nanoparticles. In 2006, I obtained a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship to develop nanoparticle-based imaging in living cells. The Fellowhship ended in 2011 and I am now a Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool. My teaching includes some lectures in Quantitative Biology I, i.e. basic mathematics for first year Biology students, and some teaching in Life301, Advanced Skills in Biochemistry. European School on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies Lecturer (ESONN 2014) UK-Israel Nanoscience Lectureship (British Council 2015) BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship (Competitive Fellowship, BBSRC 2006) Chair of the Institute of Integrative Biology Public Engagement and Communication Committee

研究领域

It all starts with Nanoparticles ... but it doesn't end there! We love nanoparticles because of their physical properties. Gold nanoparticles solutions look like red wine… and turn to blue upon aggregation. Iron oxide nanoparticles form ferrofluids which can be spectacular if you have a strong enough magnet. These physical properties are not just fun: they can be harnessed for imaging and tracking of molecules and cells. Furthermore, the nanoparticles can be camouflaged so that they look similar to biomolecules. This can be achieved by attaching many small biomolecules to their surface. The two main aims of our research are to prepare nanoparticles with advanced structures and functions and to develop biological imaging at various length scales. For this second aim, we do use nanoparticles but we do not restrict ourselves since there is a lot that can be done with other types of probes. The research is highly interdisciplinary (physics, chemistry and biology) and this is reflected both by the composition of the group and the breadth of our collaborations.

近期论文

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Photothermal raster image correlation spectroscopy of gold nanoparticles in solution and on live cells (Journal article - 2015) Amyloid-Derived Peptide Forms Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold Nanoparticle with a Curvature-Dependent β-Sheet Structure (Journal article - 2012) Photothermal microscopy of the core of dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles during cell uptake. (Journal article - 2012) Cathepsin L digestion of nanobioconjugates upon endocytosis. (Journal article - 2009) Supramolecular domains in mixed peptide self-assembled monolayers on gold nanoparticles. (Journal article - 2008)