History of the 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.

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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