School of Chemistry

Julie Fisher

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Research section: Physical Chemistry

Contact details

Keywords

NMR Spectroscopy
Metabolomics
Nucleic acid-based complexes
Supramolecular assemblies

Research interests

There are three main themes to our research; nucleic acid structure/function studies, biofluid/tissue analysis, and organometallic supramolecular assembly characterisation. These themes have in common the application of high resolution multinuclear NMR spectroscopy.

In the nucleic acid area, current specific interests include conformational analysis of beta - amino acid based nucleic acid analogues and stability studies on sequences of interest for siRNA applications (both with Prof. R. Cosstick, University of Liverpool). We are also interested in novel DNA architecture, specifically i-motifs which could see applications in pharmaceuticals and nanotechnology.

NMR studies of biofluids and tissues are aimed at establishing biomarkers for particular medical conditions, for the most part. We are using a combined metabolomic (that is metabolic profiling) and chemometric (multivariate statistical analysis) approach to study a range of biofluids; plasma, serum, whole blood, and urine.
We have identified biomarkers of pre-eclampsia (with Prof. J.J. Walker, St. James' Teaching Hospital, Leeds), peripheral arterial disease - with Prof. S. Homer-Vanniasinkam, Leeds General Infirmary), environmental exposure to a number of mycotoxin contaminants of common food stuffs (with Dr. P.Turner, Epidemiology, University of Leeds). We are using the same approach to assess the status of kidney transplantation (with transplant surgeons Mr. P. Goldsmith, Mr. Prasad, and Mr Ahmed at St. James' Hospital, Leeds).

In collaboration with Dr. M. Hardie (School of Chemistry, University of Leeds) we are utilising diffusion-based, and other, NMR techniques to analyse the solution phase properties of specific supramolecular assemblies in solution. Where appropriate, characteristics of host:guest complexes are also being studied by NMR.

Useful links

Curriculum vitae (MS Word)   
Bibliography (MS Word)   
Metabolomic Research (PDF)   

Selected publications

R.P. Hopton, E. Turner, V.J. Burley, P.C. Turner, J. Fisher. Urine metabolite analysis as a function of deoxynivalenol exposure: an NMR-based metabolomics investigation. Food Additives and Contaminants Part A, 2010, 27, 255-261.

T.K. Ronson, J.Fisher, L.P. Harding, P.J. Rizkallah, J.E. Warren, M.J.Hardie. Stellated polyhedral assembly of a topologically complicated Pd4L4 - Solomon cube. Nature Chemistry 2009, 1, 212-216

J.W. Gaynor, M.M. Piperakis, J.Fisher, R. Cosstick. Reverse-direction (5'-3') synthesis of oligonucleotides containing a 3'-S-phosphorothiolate linkage and 3'-terminal 3'- Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 2010,8, 1463-1470.

N. E. Baskind, C. McRae, V. Sharma, and J. Fisher. Understanding subfertility at a molecular level in the female through the application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Human Reproduction Update doi:10.1093/humupd/dmq039