Staff Profile

Roles and Responsibilities

• Director of Expertise - Chemistry

Qualifications

• BSc Medicinal Chemistry, Newcastle University (1994)
• MSc Molecular Functional Chemistry, Hokkaido University, Japan (1998)
• PhD Redox active DNA immobilised on Silicon, Newcastle University (2002)

Previous Positions

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Newcastle University, 2002-2004
• Research Team Leader, INEX, Newcastle 2004-2005
• RCUK Academic Fellow, Newcastle University, 2005-2010 
• Lecturer, Newcastle University, 2010-2014 
• Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University 2014-

Research Interests

• Enzymatic synthesis of designer DNA
• Printed materials for flexible electronics
• Modified nulceosides and nucleotides
• DNA based systems for electronic interconnects and sensing
• DNA-inspired nanomaterials

Postgraduate Supervision

Current research group members:

• PhD Yr 4 Lama Alharthi
• PhD Yr 2 Ellie Dimmick
• PhD Yr 2 Andy Hicks

Funding

• £12,000 Royal Society International Joint Project with Hokkaido University 2021
• £210,000 UKRI Innovate UK ICURE follow on fund 2020
• £28,000 Northern Accelerator Exec into Business fund 2020
• £47,000 Northern Accelerator Proof of Concept fund 2019
• £137,000 EU H2020-MSCA-RISE 2017 (with Dr Eimer Tuite), 2017
• £60,400 Innovate UK (with Professor Andrew Houlton and Dr Ben Horrocks), 2018
• £15,800 - Center for International Programs of Kazakhstan, 2016-17
• £15,000 IAA EPSRC (with Dr Eimer Tuite), 2018
• £10,000 Global Excellence Fund, 2013
• £365,00 TSB/MRC, 2012
• £1,440 Wellcome Trust, 2011
• £1,440 Nuffield Foundation, 2011
• €638,005 European Union FP7, (with other members of CNL), 2010
• £1,440 Nuffield Foundation, 2010
• £1,440 Newcastle University, 2009
• £5,000 Newcastle University, 2005
• £3,000 Daiwa Anglo Foundation, 2002

Undergraduate Teaching

• Stage 1 NES 1403 Inorganic Chemistry; Molecular and Atomic Orbtial Theory
• Stage 1 NES 1401 Chemical and Professional Skills
• Stage 3 NES 3401 Professional Skills
• MSc   NES 8810 Recent Advances in Chemistry Research
• Stage 3 BGM3039 Medical Biotechnology

• Articles

  • Hribesh SO, Clegg W, Harrington RW, Houlton A, Pike AR. Synthesis and crystal structure of a nickel(II) 2′-de­oxy-6-thio­guanosine nitrate com­plex. Acta Crystallographica Section C 2025, 81(3), 165-169.
  • Liao X-X, Yang H, Wu Q, Liu J, Hu Y, Zhang Y, Liu W-Q, Fu Y, Pike AR, Liu B. Convolutional Neural Network-Enabled Optical Fiber SPR Sensors for RI Prediction. IEEE Sensors Journal 2025, 25(4), 6371-6379.
  • Gupta NK, Karuppannan SK, Pasula RR, Vilan A, Martin J, Xu W, May EM, Pike AR, Astier HPAG, Salim T, Lim S, Nijhuis CA. Temperature-Dependent Coherent Tunneling across Graphene-Ferritin Biomolecular Junctions. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022, 14(39), 44665-44675.
  • Xia R-L, Liu J, Shi J, He X-D, Yuan J, Pike AR, Chu L, Wu Q, Liu B. Compact fiber Fabry–Perot sensors filled with PNIPAM hydrogel for highly sensitive relative humidity measurement. Measurement 2022, 201, 111781.
  • Gupta NK, Wilkinson EA, Karuppannan SK, Bailey L, Vilan A, Zhang Z, Qi D-C, Tadich A, Tuite EM, Pike AR, Tucker JHR, Nijhuis CA. Role of Order in the Mechanism of Charge Transport across Single-Stranded and Double-Stranded DNA Monolayers in Tunnel Junctions. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021, 143(48), 20309-20319.
  • Yang H, Lie J, Liu B, Luo C, Yi Z, Ma L, Wan S, Pike AR, Fu YQ, Wu Q, He X. Investigation of Relative Humidity Sensing Using Tapered No-Core Fiber Coated With Graphene Oxide Film. IEEE Access 2020, 8, 220755 - 220761.
  • Whitfield CJ, Little RC, Khan K, Ijiro K, Connolly BA, Tuite EM, Pike AR. Self-Priming Enzymatic Fabrication of Multiply Modified DNA. Chemistry - A European Journal 2018, 24(57), 15267-15274.
  • Nurdillayeva RN, Oshido AB, Bamford TA, El-Zubir O, Houlton A, Hedley J, Pike AR, Horrocks BR. Inkjet printing and electrical characterisation of DNA - templated cadmium sulfide nanowires. Nanotechnology 2018, 29(13), 135704.
  • Lunn S, Hribesh S, Whitfield C, Hall M, Houlton A, Brownowska A, Tuite EM, Pike AR. Duplex Healing of Selectively Thiolated Guanosine Mismatches through a Cd2+ Chemical Stimulus. ChemBioChem 2018, 19(11), 1115-1118.
  • Borah D, Cummins C, Rasappa S, Watson SMD, Pike AR, Horrocks BR, Fulton DA, Houlton A, Liontos G, Ntetsikas K, Avgeropoulos A, Morris MA. Nanoscale silicon substrate patterns from self-assembly of cylinder forming poly (styrene)-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane) block copolymer on silane functionalized surfaces. Nanotechnology 2017, 28(4).
  • Marshall JN, Dawley S, Pike A, Pollard JS. Geographies of corporate philanthropy: The Northern Rock Foundation. Environment and Planning A 2017, 50(2), 266-287.
  • Nakamura S, Mitomo H, Aizawa M, Tani T, Matsuo Y, Niikura K, Pike AR, Naya N, Shishido A, Ijiro K. DNA Brush-Directed Vertical Alignment of Extensive Gold Nanorod Arrays with Controlled Density. ACS Omega 2017, 2(5), 2208-2213.
  • Whitfield CJ, Turley AT, Tuite EM, Connolly BA, Pike AR. Enzymatic Method for the Synthesis of Long DNA Sequences with Multiple Repeat Units. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2015, 54(31), 8971-8974.
  • Moradpour Hafshejani S, Watson SMD, Tuite EM, Pike AR. Click Modification of Diazido Acridine Intercalators: A Versatile Route Towards Decorated DNA Nanostructures. Chemistry - A European Journal 2015, 21(36), 12611-12615.
  • Watson SMD, Pike AR, Pate J, Houlton A, Horrocks BR. DNA-templated nanowires: morphology and electrical conductivity. Nanoscale 2014, 6(8), 4027-4037.
  • Moradpour Hafshejani S, Hedley JH, Haigh AO, Pike AR, Tuite EM. Synthesis and binding of proflavine diazides as functional intercalators for directed assembly on DNA. RSC Advances 2013, 3(39), 18164-18172.
  • Amo-Ochoa P, Alexandre SS, Hribesh S, Galindo MA, Castillo O, Gómez-García CJ, Pike AR, Soler JM, Houlton A, Zamora F. Coordination Chemistry of 6-Thioguanine Derivatives with Cobalt: Toward Formation of Electrical Conductive One-Dimensional Coordination Polymers. Inorganic Chemistry 2013, 52(9), 5290-5299.
  • Carlsson S, Gonzalez R, O'Farrell N, Patole SN, Connolly BA, Houlton A, Horrocks BR, Pike A. Self-Organisation of Self-Complementary DNA Molecules Covalently Attached to Silicon Surfaces. Science of Advanced Materials 2011, 3(3), 483-489.
  • Galindo MA, Hannant J, Harrington RW, Clegg W, Horrocks BR, Pike AR, Houlton A. Pyrrolyl-, 2-(2-thienyl)pyrrolyl- and 2,5-bis(2-thienyl)pyrrolyl-nucleosides: synthesis, molecular and electronic structure, and redox behaviour of C5-thymidine derivatives. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2011, 9(5), 1555-1564.
  • Mishchenko A, Abdualla M, Rudnev A, Fu Y, Pike AR, Wandlowski T. Electrochemical scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of a ferrocene-modified n-Si(111)-surface: electrolyte gating and ambipolar FET behaviour. Chemical Communications 2011, 47(35), 9807-9809.
  • Hannant J, Hedley JH, Pate J, Walli A, Al-Said SAF, Galindo MA, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A, Pike AR. Modification of DNA-templated conductive polymer nanowires via click chemistry. Chemical Communications 2010, 46(32), 5870-5872.
  • Al-Said SAF, Hassanien R, Hannant J, Galindo MA, Pruneanu S, Pike AR, Houlton A, Horrocks BR. Templating Ag on DNA/polymer hybrid nanowires: Control of the metal growth morphology using functional monomers. Electrochemistry Communications 2009, 11(3), 550-553.
  • Houlton A, Pike AR, Galindo MA, Horrocks BR. DNA-based routes to semiconducting nanomaterials. Chemical Communications 2009, (14), 1797-1806.
  • Pike AR, Ryder LC, Horrocks BR, Clegg W, Connolly BA, Houlton A. Ferrocenyl-modified DNA: Synthesis, characterization and integration with semiconductor electrodes. Chemistry: A European Journal 2005, 11(1), 344-353.
  • Lie LH, Patole SN, Pike AR, Ryder LC, Connolly BA, Ward AD, Tuite EM, Houlton A, Horrocks BR. Immobilisation and synthesis of DNA on Si(111), nanocrystalline porous silicon and silicon nanoparticles. Faraday Discussions 2004, 125, 235-249.
  • Patole SN, Pike AR, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. STM study of DNA films synthesized on Si(111) surfaces. Langmuir 2003, 19(13), 5457-5463.
  • Pike AR, Patole SN, Murray NC, Ilyas T, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. Covalent and non-covalent attachment and patterning of polypyrrole at silicon surfaces. Advanced Materials 2003, 15(3), 254-257.
  • Pike AR, Horrocks BR, Connolly BA, Houlton A. Towards DNA based molecular electronics on silicon. Australian Journal of Chemistry 2002, 55(3), 191.
  • Pike AR, Ryder LC, Horrocks BR, Clegg W, Elsegood MRJ, Connolly BA, Houlton A. Metallocene - DNA: Synthesis, molecular and electronic structure and DNA incorporation of C5-ferrocenylthymidine derivatives. Chemistry: A European Journal 2002, 8(13), 2891-2899.
  • Pike AR, Lie LH, Eagling RA, Ryder LC, Patole SN, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. DNA on silicon devices: On-chip synthesis, hybridization, and charge transfer. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition) 2002, 41(4), 615-617.

• Book Chapter

  • Little RC, Whitfield CJ, Tuite EM, Pike AR. The synthesis of designer DNA. In: DNA Nanotechnology. New York, NY, USA: Humana Press Inc, 2018, pp.11-21.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Nurdillayeva RN, Horrocks BR, Pike AR. Electronic and Electrochemical characterization of DNA - Templated CdS nanowires. In: 5th International Conference on Nanomaterials and Advanced Energy Storage Systems. 2018, Astana, Kazakhstan: Elsevier Ltd.
  • Pike AR, Lie LH, Patole SN, Ryder LC, Connolly BA, Horrocks BR, Houlton A. Integrating DNA with semiconductor materials: Bio-inorganic hybrid devices. In: DNA-Based Molecular Construction: International Workshop on DNA-based Molecular Construction. 2002, Jena, Germany: American Institute of Physics.
  • Ryder L, Pike A, Horrocks B, Houlton A. Ferrocenyl-nucleosides: synthesis, redox chemistry and incorporation into DNA. In: 10th International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry. 2001, Florence, Italy: Elsevier Inc.

• Reviews

  • Ong JY, Pike AR, Tan LL. Recent Advances in Conventional Methods and Electrochemical Aptasensors for Mycotoxin Detection. Foods 2021, 10, 1437.
  • Zhang L, Ma X, Wang G, Liang X, Mitomo H, Pike A, Houlton A, Ijiro K. Non-origami DNA for functional nanostructures: From structural control to advanced applications. Nano Today 2021, 39, 101154.