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.
Steve West will give the 2012 Max Perutz lecture on Thursday 13 September at 4.15pm in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre at the LMB. The lecture, entitled “Defective DNA strand break repair, genome instability and cancer” is open to all interested in attending.
Steve West is known for pioneering studies on homologous recombination, and for defining the links between recombinational repair and genome instability diseases, including cancer.
Andrew Holding, from the LMB’s Cell Biology division, has been awarded a British Science Association Media Fellowship – giving him the opportunity to work on Horizon, the BBC’s popular, long-running science programme.
Andrew is one of just 10 scientists, chosen from 180 applicants, to be awarded a British Science Association Media Fellowship in this year’s awards.
Dr Rebecca Voorhees, a student and Career Development Fellow at the LMB, has been awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Fellowship will allow Rebecca to pursue a joint project working in the laboratories of Ramanujan Hegde, (LMB Cell Biology division) and Robert Keenan (University of Chicago, USA).
It is with great sadness that we report that Dan Brown, who had been battling cancer for some time, died on Tuesday April 24, 2012, aged 89.
Dan was an outstanding nucleotide chemist who in 1951, with the future Nobel Laureate Alexander Todd, determined definitively the chemical linkage in DNA and RNA and who was one of the pioneers in the chemistry of nucleic acids. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1982.
David Komander, of LMB’s Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry division, is a recipient of the 2012 Lister Prize. This prestigious award is given annually by The Lister Institute to three young researchers in the UK, to support quality research in the biomedical or related biological sciences.
The research in David’s group focuses on a versatile modification of proteins termed ubiquitination, which regulates all aspects of life.
John Sutherland, from the LMB’s Protein & Nucleic Acid Chemistry Division, has won the Origin of Life Challenge. John shares this prize of $50,000 with his former colleague, the chemist Matthew Powner, from University College London. They also receive a $150,000 one-year grant to pursue their research in this field.
The Origin of Life Challenge was issued by Harry Londsdale, a retired California chemist and entrepreneur, in mid 2011.