Professor Fabio Nudelman (FRMS)

Professor of Biomineralization

Research summary

Biogenic minerals, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, protein-crystal interactions, (cryo)electron microscopy, soft matter

Research Overview

Biomineralization: understanding how organisms make bone, teeth, shells and more

In nature, organisms from all 5 kingdoms produce more than 60 different minerals that fulfill a wide variety of functions. Examples are magnetite particles used by bacteria to navigate through Earth’s magnetic field; shells and coral skeletons made of calcium carbonate; and vertebrate bone and teeth made of calcium phosphate. We are interested in understanding how organisms control the formation of the minerals that make these structures. This is a very exciting and multidisciplinary area that combines elements from chemistry, biology and material sciences.

  1. Triccas, A., Laidlaw, F., Singleton, M. R., Nudelman, F. Control of crystal growth during coccolith formation by the coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica. J. Struct. Biol., 2024, 216, 108066, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2024.108066.
  2. Graziani, G., Ghezzi, D., Nudelman, F., Sassoni, E., Laidlaw, F., Cappelletti, M., Boi, M., Borciani, G., Milita, S., Bianchi, M., Baldini, N., Falini, G. A natural biogenic fluorapatite as a new biomaterial for orthopaedics and dentistry: antibacterial activity of lingula shell and its use for nanostructural biomimetic coatigs.  J. Mater. Chem. B., 2024, 12, 2083-2098, doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3tb02454g.
  3. Marzec, B., Walker, J. M., Jhons, Y., Meldrum, F. C., Shaver, M., Nudelman, F. Micron-sized biogenic and hollow mineral spheres occlude additives within single crystals. Faraday Discuss., 2022, 235, 536-550, doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/D1FD00095K.
  4. Broadhurst, E. T., Xu, H., Parsons, S., Nudelman, F. Revealing the early stages of carbamazepine crystallization by cryoTEM and 3D electron diffraction. IUCrJ, 2021, 8, 860-866, doi: https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252521010101.
  5. Ihli, J., Schenk, A. S., Rosenfeldt, S., Wakonig, K., Holler, M., Falini, G., Pasquini, L., Delacou, E., Buckman, J., Glen. T. S., Kress, T., Tsai, E. H. R., Reid, D. G., Duer, M. J., Cusack, M., Nudelman, F. Mechanical adaptation of brachiopod shells via hydration-induced structural changes. Nat. Commun., 2021, 12:5383, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25613-4.
  6. Dai, L. L., Nudelman, F., Chu, C. H., Lo, E. C. M., Mei, M. L. The effect of strontium-doped bioactive glass and fluoride on hydroxyapatite crystallization. J. Dentistry, 2021, 105, 103581, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2021.103581.
  7. Dillon, S., Suchaki, K., Hsu, S. N.,Stephen, L. A., Wang, R., Cawthorn, W. P., Stewart, A. J., Nudelman, F., Morton, N. M., Farquharson, C. Ablation of Enpp6 results in transient bone hypomineralization. J. Bone Miner. Res. Plus, 2021, 5, e10439, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10439.
  8. Xu, Y., Nudelman, F., Eren, D., Wirix, M. J.M., Cantaert, B., Nijhuis, W. H., Hermida-Merino, D., Portale, G., Bomans, P. H. H., Ottmann, C., Friedrich, H., Bras, W., Akiva, A., Orgel, J. P. R. O., Meldrum, F. C., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M. Intermolecular Channels Direct Crystal Orientation in Mineralized Collagen. Nat. Commun., 2020, 11:5068, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18846-2.
  9. McCluskey, A. R., Hung, K. S. W., Marzec, B., Sindt, J. O., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M., Camp, P. J., Nudelman, F. Disordered filaments mediate the fibrilogenesis of type I collagen in solution. Biomacromol., 2020, 21, 3631-3643, doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00667.
  10. Walker, J. M., Marzec, B., Ozaki, N., Clare, D., Nudelman, F. Morphological development of Pleurochrysis carterae coccoliths examined by cryo-electron tomography. J. Struct. Biol., 2020, 210, 107476, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107476.
  11. Marzec, B., Walker, J. M., Jhons, J., Wheeler, A., Panagopoulou, M., Clare, D., Shaver, M., Nudelman, F. Three-dimensional architecture and surface functionality of coccolith base plates. J. Struct. Biol., 2019, 208, 127-136.
  12. Montroni, D., Marzec, B., Valle, F., Nudelman, F., Falini, G. β-chitin nanofibrils self-assembly in aqueous environments. Biomacromol., 2019, 20, 6, 2421-2429.
  13. Walker, J., Marzec, B., Lee, R. B. Y., Vodrazkova, K., Day, S. J., Tang, C. C., Rickaby, R. E. M., Nudelman, F. Polymorph selectivity of coccolith-associated polysaccharides from Gephyrocapsa oceanica on calcium carbonate formation in vitro. Adv. Func. Mater. 2019, 29, 1807168.
  14. Sim, A.; Rashdan, N.; Cui, L.; Moss, A.; Nudelman, F.; Dweck, M.; MacRae, V.; Hulme, A. A novel diagnostic tool for the detection of hydroxyapatite in both cell and tissue models. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8:17360.
  15. Walker, J. M., Marzec, B., Nudelman, F. Solid-state transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate to aragonite captured by cryoTEM. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 11740-11743.
  16. Mei, L. M., Nudelman, F., Marzec, B., Walker, J. M., Lo, E. C. M., Walls, A. W. and Chu, C. H. Formation of fluorohydroxyapatite with silver diamine fluoride. J. Dental. Res. 2017, 96, 1122-1128.
  17. Nudelman, F. Nacre biomineralisation: A review on the mechanisms of crystal nucleation. Sem. Cell. Dev. Biol. 2015, 46, 2-10.
  18. Nudelman, F., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M. Biomineralization as inspiration for materials chemistry. Angew. Chem., 2012, 51, 6582-6596.
  19. Nudelman, F., de With, G., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M. Cryo-electron tomography: 3-dimensional imaging of soft matter. Soft Matter 2011, 7, 17-24.
  20. Nudelman, F., Pieterse, K.,  George, A., Bomans, P. H. H., Friedrich, H.,  Brylka, L. J., Hilbers, P. A. J., de With, G., Sommerdijk, N. A. J. M. The role of collagen in bone apatite formation in the presence of hydroxyapatite nucleation inhibitors. Nature Materials, 2010, 9, 1004-1009.
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