Newcastle University

Introduction

I am a lecturer in thermodynamics/fluid mechanics (to undergraduate chemical engineers).

My research interests relate to understanding and manipulating biological forces. For example the forces that hold together cancer cells in a tumor and the forces that bind drugs to a cell surface.  The misfiring of these biological interactions can lead to, or be a result of disease. Thus the ultimate goal of our research is to inform the development of disease treatments based on knowledge of biological interactions. Work is highly interdisciplinary involving physics, engineering, biomedicine and chemistry. Other projects related to the manipulation of biological forces include the building of a part biological, part machine swimming robot called Cyberplasm, and the construction of artificial cells.

Roles and Responsibilities

Postgraduate Admissions Tutor for Materials and Design MSc
Progression Panel

Qualifications

BSc (First Class) Queen Mary, University of London
Phd University of St-Andrews, Scotland

Previous Positions

Postdoc University of Cambridge
Postdoc Sandia National Labs, USA

Memberships

Biophysical Society

British Biophysical Society

Royal Society of Chemistry

Institute of Physics

Informal Interests

Russian literature, culture and language
Mathematics
Wine
Watching snooker on TV
Squash
Designing experiments, especially thermodynamics practicals

Research Interests 

Biological Forces

Cell Biophysics

Materials Science

Synthetic Biology 

Current Work

Cyberplasm - building hybrid bio/machine robots.

Protocell Assembly - creating the simplest self replicating artificial entity, i.e. artificial cell.

Origins of life - How did life on Earth evolve?

Cancer cell biophysics

Protein Unfolding

Drug/cell surface interactions 

Postgraduate Supervision

PhD Student - Natalie Adams

PhD Student - Orr Yarkoni

PhD Student - Darman Nordin

PhD Student - Ana Penaherrera 

Postdoc - Lynn Donlon 

Funding

EPSRC/NSF Grant - "Cyberplasm" £301,000

EPSRC Grant "Surface Nanostructures For The Study of Biomolecular Recognition,Chirality And Crystal Growth" Principal Investigator, value £298,000

Projects

• Surface Nanostructures For The Study of Biomolecular Recognition,Chirality And Crystal Growth
  Project Leader(s): Dr Daniel Frankel

Undergraduate Teaching

Thermodynamics Stage 1

Thermodynamics stage 2

Fluid Mechanics Stage 1

Crystallization Stage 3

Biomaterials Stage 3/4 

Postgraduate Teaching

Nanotechnology on the MRes in Biomedicine
Nanomaterials

• Donlon L, Penaherrera A, Frankel D. Probing interactions of the HIV protein GP120 with lipids and CD4 receptors. Soft Matter 2013, 9(10), 2803-2809.
• Donlon L, Frankel D. Self assembly and pore formation of HIV GP160 revealed at molecular resolution. Soft Matter 2013, 9(1), 283-290.
• Nordin D, Donlon L, Frankel DJ. Characterising single fibronectin-integrin complexes. Soft Matter 2012, 8(22), 6151-6160.
• Donlon L, Nordind D, Frankel DJ. Complete unfolding of fibronectin reveals surface interactions. Soft Matter 2012, 8(38), 9933-9940.
• Yarkoni O, Donlon L, Frankel D. Creating a bio-hybrid signal transduction pathway: opening a new channel of communication between cells and machines. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 2012, 7(4), 046017.
• Nordin D, Yarkoni O, Savinykh N, Frankel D. Protein Directed Assembly of Lipids. Chemical Communications 2012, 48(5), 672-674.
• Nordin D, Yarkoni O, Savinyky N, Donlon L, Frankel D. Revealing the selective interactions of fibronectin with lipid bilayers. Soft Matter 2011, 7(22), 10666-10675.
• Chaudhry B, Ashton H, Muhamed A, Yost M, Bull S, Frankel D. Nanoscale viscoelastic properties of an aligned collagen scaffold. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine 2009, 20(1), 257-263.
• Frankel DJ, Chen Q, Richardson NV. Formation of hydrogen-bridged cytosine dimers on Cu(110). Journal of Chemical Physics 2006, 124(20), 204704.
• Manzanera M, Frankel DJ, Li H, Zhou D, Bruckbauer A, Kreutzmann P, Blackburn JM, Abell C, Rayment T, Klenerman D, Barker PD. Macroscopic 2D networks self-assembled from nanometer-sized protein/DNA complexes. Nano Letters 2006, 6(3), 365-370.
• Frankel DJ, Pfeiffer JR, Surviladze Z, Johnson AE, Oliver JM, Wilson BS, Burns AR. Revealing the Topography of Cellular Membrane Domains by Combined Atomic Force Microscopy/Fluorescence Imaging. Biophysical Journal 2006, 90(7), 2404–2413.
• Burns AR, Frankel DJ, Buranda T. Local Mobility in Lipid Domains of Supported Bilayers Characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. Biophysical Journal 2005, 89(2), 1081-1093.
• Frankel DJ, Chen Q, Richardson NV. Adsorption of alpha-pyridone on Cu(110). Journal of Chemical Physics 2002, 116(20), 8988-8993.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. Chemisorption induced chirality: glycine on Cu{110}. Surface Science 2002, 497(1-3), 37-46.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. Self-assembly of adenine on Cu(110) surfaces. Langmuir 2002, 18(8), 3219-3225.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. Dehydrogenation induced phase transitions of p-aminobenzoic acid on Cu(110). Journal of Chemical Physics 2001, 116(2), 460-470.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Lee CW, Richardson NV. Linear dichroism electron scattering from chiral surfaces. Chemical Physics Letters 2001, 349(3-4), 161-171.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. Organic adsorbate induced surface reconstruction: p-aminobenzoic acid on Cu{110}. Langmuir 2001, 17(26), 8276-8280.
• Chen Q, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. Room-temperature surface structure of 4-aminobenzoic acid on Cu(110) surfaces. Surface and Interface Analysis 2001, 32(1), 43-48.
• Chen Q, Lee CW, Frankel DJ, Richardson NV. The formation of enantiospecific phases on a Cu(110) surface. Phys Chem Comm 1999, 1-4.