Professor Mason’s research focuses on the screening, design, synthesis and characterisation of peptide-based antagonists that can inhibit disease-relevant targets with high affinity and specificity. These do so by inhibiting the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that targets require for function. His work on transcription factors, methods of peptide design, protein folding and misfolding, directed evolution, peptide structure, and discovery of peptides that modulate proteins in disease is particularly relevant to our Decode theme and Flagship 2 Bioavailability and Localisation.

Professor Mason collaborates with CIs Fairlie and Henriques, and has undertaken three previous short sabbaticals at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He shares MRC and BBSRC grants with CI Fairlie. His involvement as an AI will bring biochemistry skills and additional UK connections to joint research objectives of CIPPS.