Research interests:


My research in Mathematical Biology focuses on novel analytical and computational tools for the modelling of viruses. Such models provide important insights into viral evolution, infection and virus assembly, and have potential applications in a number of areas ranging from anti-viral drug design to bio-nanotechnology. My research is interdisciplinary, combining techniques from mathematics (in particular group theory) with biophysics, bioinformatics and computational chemistry. A Research Leadership Award from the Leverhulme Trust provides funding for my interdisciplinary research team.


NOTE: A fully funded PhD position is open in my group from October 2009.

 


Some information on our work can be found below:


Viral Tiling Theory:

A key concept in virology is Caspar-Klug theory, a mathematical theory which predicts all possible formations of virus shell capsids in accordance with a set of biologically motivated assumptions. It is currently widely used for the classification of virus structures. However, recent experimental results have shown that this theory has limitations and cannot explain all virus structures that have been discovered experimentally. A corresponding alternate theory has been suggested by us based on ideas from the field of quasicrystals.


A new geometric principle underlying virus architecture:

currently under construction


Assembly Models:

currently under construction


Bionanocontainers:

currently under construction


© Reidun Twarock