“A team of British and American scientists have found a drug which can slow down, kick start and reset the body clocks of mice. It does this by altering a key enzyme which controls the process, called casein kinase 1… He [Prof Loudon] and Dr Mick Hastings of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, worked with a team from Pfizer, the drugs company. Their findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were funded by the MRC and the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBS RC).” More…

“One route to developing new drugs is to look at targeting the hundreds of G-protein-coupled receptors that are not currently exploited clinically… Richard Henderson of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, an experienced researcher in membrane protein structure, describes them as ‘signalling molecules that control the whole of physiology.” More…

“The latest manifestation of the age-old rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford has been won by the light blues. Both cities ran Workplace Cycle Challenges between 7 and 27 June but it was Cambridge that managed to persuade more people onto their bikes, with 132 new cyclists compared to Oxford’s 117… The top teams in Cambridge were the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the British Antarctic Survey, the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, IUCN, Cambridge Mechatronics, Hinxton Hall finance department, and The Wellcome Trust.” More…

“The road leading to a new laboratory will be named after renowned scientist Dr Francis Crick… Hugh Pelham, the director of the Laboratory for Molecular Biology, explained how the decision came about. He said: “There is a road naming committee featuring representatives of the hospital and the MRC who look into these kind of things, and there is a tradition of naming new roads after people with connections to the site. Because this road leads to the new laboratory, we wanted someone really prestigious, and what better choice than Francis,” he added.” More…

“A road leading to a new £200 million Cambridge laboratory is to be named after legendary scientist Francis Crick. Francis Crick Avenue will run through the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site to the new Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), which is due to open in 2012.” This article is no longer available from the source website: Cambridge News 9 July 2010

“Scientists have come up with a giant-lensed microscope to allow them to see the minutest of cells. The “Mesolens” microscope is described as revolutionary because of how it could transform laboratory researchers’ ability to look at living cells. They will now be able to see them at a level never seen before, the scientists say. The team of Medical Research Council scientists, led by Dr William Amos [LMB] developed the microscope in response to a growing research need to examine larger and larger tissue samples, in particular early stage genetically modified mouse embryos.” This article is no longer available from the source website: Sky News 2 July 2010

“Once, microscopes were simple. If you wanted to examine something, you’d kill it, chop it into slices, then stick the slice that you’re interested in under the microscope. Today, however, microscopes are rather more complex — and don’t require the subject to be sliced open before they can be examined. Instead, you just focus the microscope on the exact depth that you’re interested in, using what’s called a Confocal microscope. The way it works is that focus the lens on one tiny spot, using extreme depth of field to blur out the layers you don’t need. You see clearly the layer that interests you, and other layers aren’t visible. This approach was pioneered in the mid-80s by the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, and is now widely in use across the world…” This article is no longer available from the source website: Wired UK 29 June 2010

“Tomorrow marks the 10 year anniversary of sequencing the human genome. Decades of Medical Research Council (MRC) research into DNA and the human genome have led to the development of technologies such as DNA sequencing, fingerprint and chip technology. MRC researchers [including some from LMB] have played a leading role in all stages of the journey in DNA research and its outcomes for society. Building on the expertise of scientists based at its units, the MRC aims to further the understanding of links between genetics and disease.” This article is no longer available from the source website

“The best of the UK’s cutting-edge science, engineering and technology are on display at London’s Southbank Centre as the Royal Society opens its summer science festival. One of the exhibits on display is a giant lens microscope which allows scientists to examine specimens at multiple levels of focus. It can show the crusty skin of a water flea, then zoom in to its beating heart and swivelling eye, and then deeper still to individual cells.” More…

“Sixteen transnational projects have received EUR24 million (£20 million) in funding under ERASysBio+, an initiative involving ministries and funding agencies from 13 countries that seeks to coordinate national research in systems biology and agree a common European research agenda. The projects below are part of 13 UK-based schemes that will receive EUR7.7 million from the BBSRC.
Award winners: Andrew Cossins, University of Liverpool and Madan Babu, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge. BBSRC funding: EUR660,000. Total funding: EUR1.2 million” More…