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.
John Finch, a superb crystallographer and later electron microscopist, who joined the LMB when it was founded in 1962, died on Tuesday 5th December, after a short illness. His contributions to the structures of viruses and nucleosomes, and elucidation of the mechanism of negative staining EM, were central to many of the molecular structures solved at the LMB.
The musical talents of LMB staff and students were on show during the first LMB Musical Soirée, a fun and informal cabaret-style evening of musical entertainment held in the LMB’s atrium. The event was a great success, with around 100 attendees and a variety of inspiring performances full of heartfelt melodic lines and brilliant instrumental textures.
It is no secret that there are many artistic people working in the LMB.
LMB cyclists have ridden to the top of the leader board in this year’s Cycle September Challenge, a fun, free National competition, organised by Love to Ride, to see which workplaces can get the most people riding.
During the month-long challenge, 179 members of the LMB collectively cycled on 3,677 occasions covering a distance of 19,643 miles.
The LMB’s HR team, supported by colleagues at the LMB, once again took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. For the third year in a row, the LMB showcased their baking skills and donated a generous amount of sweet and savoury snacks for everyone to enjoy. This year there was a wide range of treats available, from stollen to orange and poppy seed cake, both of which sold out very quickly.
Richard Henderson from the LMB’s Structural Studies Division has been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Richard shares the honour jointly with Jacques Dubochet and Joachim Frank “for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution”.
The UK’s dementia research landscape is an impressive and complex jigsaw – made up of funders, research institutes, hospitals, industry, charities and more, all working together for a better future for people with dementia. A new picture, developed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), illustrates how the jigsaw pieces fit together.