History of LMB

In 1947 the Medical Research Council set up a 'Unit for Research on the Molecular Structure of Biological Systems' to enable Max Perutz and John Kendrew to develop their work using X-ray diffraction to study proteins.

The unit quickly diversified into other areas, including the structure of DNA, mechanism of muscle contraction, and structure of viruses, and became one of the birthplaces of modern molecular biology. This work was done while the unit was housed in the Physics Department at the Cavendish Laboratory.

The MRC, realising the potential for medical applications of these developments, provided a new building for the unit, and in 1962 the Laboratory of Molecular Biology on the new Addenbrooke's site was opened. Since then, the Laboratory has been a prolific source of new ideas, discoveries and inventions, establishing its reputation as a leading international research centre.

The Laboratory has won nine Nobel Prizes, shared by 13 scientists, for key discoveries and research undertaken in Cambridge.

Discoveries made at LMB have also formed the basis of many biotechnology companies, including Domantis, Cambridge Antibody Technology, Ribotargets, Protein Design Labs, Celltech, and Biogen.

LMB History Timeline

1947 'Unit for Research on the Molecular Structure of Biological Systems'
1953 Double-helix structure of DNA elucidated
1953 Sliding filament model for muscle contraction proposed
1957 Single amino acid change causes sickle cell anaemia
1958 Nobel Prize for Fred Sanger
1959 First atomic resolution map of a protein, myoglobin
1959 Structure of haemoglobin determined
1961 Genetic studies lead to discovery of messenger RNA
1962 New LMB building opened
1962 Nobel Prize for Max Perutz & John Kendrew
1962 Nobel Prize for Jim Watson & Francis Crick
1967 First mutant of nematode worm, C. elegans, produced
1968 3D-reconstruction of structure from electron micrographs introduced
1972 Signal peptide sequence which directs protein secretion discovered
1975 Monoclonal antibody methodology invented
1975 First 3D structure of a membrane protein, bacteriorhodopsin
1977 Di-deoxy method of sequencing DNA
1980 Nobel Prize for Fred Sanger
1982 Nobel Prize for Aaron Klug
1984 Nobel Prize for César Milstein & Georges Köhler
1985 Zinc finger DNA-binding motif proposed
1986 First humanised antibody produced
1986 Structure of the nervous system of C. elegans published
1987 Commercial production of MRC confocal microscope
1989 Cambridge Antibody Technology formed
1989 Queen's Award for Technology for peptide synthesizer
1991 Queen's Award for Technology for confocal microscope
1997 Nobel Prize for John Walker
1997 Major component of filamentous lesions characterizing Parkinson’s disease identified
1998 Genome of C. elegans completed
2000 Structure of 30S ribosomal subunit determined
2002 Nobel Prize for Sydney Brenner, Bob Horvitz & John Sulston
2009 Nobel Prize for Venki Ramakrishnan