MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
One of the world's leading research institutes, our scientists are working to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level - providing the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health.
Sexual attraction between males and females could be down to differences in the way the brain is wired up, according to work from the lab of Dr Greg Jefferis at LMB. The research was carried out in fruit flies in collaboration with colleagues at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna.
Fruit flies share many genes with mammals, and are at the forefront of research into the neural basis of behaviour.
A collaborative research group based at the LMB and the University of Manchester have successfully used a drug to reset and restart the natural 24-hour body clock of mice in the lab. The ability to do this in a mammal opens up the possibility of dealing with a range of human difficulties including some psychiatric disorders, jet lag and the health impacts of shift work.
A team of scientists led by LMB’s Brad Amos has engineered a microscope with a giant lens, known as the ‘Mesolens’, that can examine thousands of cells and the detail inside each cell at the same time. The microscope has been heralded as revolutionary by scientists and could transform how researchers observe living cells in the lab.
The microscope is now being displayed at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition, opening today at the South Bank Centre, London.
Researchers at LMB, lead by Dr Andrew McKenzie, have discovered a novel cell type that could lead to the development of new treatments for asthma, a disease that affects the lives of 5.4 million people in the UK.
The new cells, named nuocytes, are a key early source of Interleukin 13 (IL-13), a crucial immune chemical in the asthma response. Thus, nuocytes represent a previously missing link in the critical immune pathway that is turned on during asthma attacks.