Emeritus Professor Edward Sturrock

Zinc Metalloprotease Research Group

Affiliations

  1. Full Member, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine
  2. Senior Research Scholar and Emeritus Professor, Division of Chemical and Systems Biology, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town (UCT)

  3. Fellow of Royal Society of South Africa; Fellow of UCT; Member of ASSAf 

Key Expertise

Protein biochemistry

Main Research Focus

Structure-function aspects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE); design and synthesis of novel domain-selective ACE and vasopeptidase inhibitors for hypertension and CVD; the mechanisms involved in fibrosing tuberculous pericarditis; and the processing of the membrane-anchored proteins. Ed has published over 120 peer-reviewed papers and five patents, and has trained more than 40 students at PhD and MSc levels. He currently holds an NRF A rating. Together with colleagues in the Unites States (US) and United Kingdom (UK), he founded a spin-off company AngioDesign (UK) Ltd.

Most Significant Paper Authored in 2025

Ciprofloxacin Inhibits Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme (ACE) Activity by Binding at the Exosite, Distal to the Catalytic Pocket.

Gregory KS, Ramasamy V, Sturrock ED, Acharya KR. (2025)

This study reveals a previously unrecognized mode of angiotensin‑converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, demonstrating that the antibiotic ciprofloxacin binds selectively to the C‑domain at a distal exosite rather than the catalytic zinc site. By elucidating the 1.85 Å crystal structure of the ciprofloxacin–cACE complex, the work uncovers a novel allosteric mechanism that restricts lid movement essential for substrate access. These insights highlight the potential for designing next‑generation, domain‑selective ACE inhibitors with fewer side effects than current therapies, marking an important advance in structure‑based drug design.