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.
KJ Patel, group leader in the LMB’s PNAC Division, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, in recognition of his outstanding research on DNA repair and chromosome breakage. The Royal Society is a Fellowship of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
KJ is working on the molecular basis of inherited genomic instability and the role it plays in the biology of stem cells.
The LMB is delighted to announce the recent arrival of two new group leaders: Rebecca Taylor and Wanda Kukulski.
Rebecca Taylor
Rebecca has joined the LMB’s Neurobiology Division, and is researching the systemic control of proteostasis and ageing. The ageing process is accompanied by a cellular accumulation of misfolded proteins.
New specimen support grids for electron microscopy, made of pure gold and designed by Lori Passmore and Chris Russo from the LMB’s Structural Studies Division, have been licensed for production by Quantifoil Micro Tools GmbH (Quantifoil). These ultrastable gold support grids improve the microscope image quality, revealing more information than was previously possible.
The opening weekend of the 2015 Cambridge Science Festival was a huge success, with thousands of visitors attending events on the 14th and 15th March. LMB scientists designed and ran two of the activities, ‘See your Cells’ at the Corn Exchange and ‘Crystal Clear’ at the Chemistry Department,
‘See your Cells’ was created by Simon Bullock and Monica Rodrigo Brenni from the LMB’s Cell Biology Division.
The LMB has appointed 30 Bird and public works as LMB Artists-in-Residence starting in April 2015. They are a collaborative team made up of a local performance company led by Mehrdad Seyf (30 Bird) and a participatory art and architecture practice led by Torange Kohnsari (public works). These ground breaking artists will engage with staff at the LMB to inspire new perspectives and understanding of the LMB’s research, both amongst people at the LMB, and the general public.
Venki Ramakrishnan, Deputy Director of the LMB, Joint Head of the LMB’s Structural Studies Division and Nobel Laureate, has been confirmed as President Elect of the Royal Society. He will take up the post of President on 1 December 2015.
Venki’s research focuses on the structure and function of the ribosome, the molecular machine that synthesises proteins by translating genetic information held in mRNA, and on the action of antibiotics on this process.