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.

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Scientific Seminars

Below is a list of upcoming seminars at the LMB aimed at a general scientific audience and open to individuals throughout Cambridge. If you are not at the LMB and wish to attend a seminar, please contact the seminar secretary, unless the seminar is held online and joining information is included in the seminar information below. The LMB hosts ‘The LMB Seminar Series’, where 1-2 leading scientists per month are invited to speak throughout the year. Four of these lectures are named in honour of LMB Nobel Laureates Max Perutz, Francis Crick, César Milstein and John Kendrew, given by eminent scientists from around the world. The LMB Seminar talks and LMB Named Seminar talks are advertised widely throughout the local area and are open to all.

A full list of LMB Named Lectures to date can be found here. Details of other local seminars can be found here

  • Milstein Lecture 2021: Organoids to model human diseases

    Speaker: Hans Clevers, Professor in Molecular Genetics, Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
    Host: Madeline Lancaster
    Date: 30/11/2021 at 11:00am in the Webinar.

    Further information

    Zoom link: https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/96610458150?pwd=RmI5RUZZU0JRNzBBNlh3NnFWQWpjZz09

    Stem cells (SCs) are the foundation of all mammalian life. SCs build and maintain our bodies throughout life. Two types of SCs are known; embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are present briefly in the early embryo a few days after fertilisation, and adult stem cells that are more specialised to the tissue they inhabit.
    Every organ in our body is believed to harbour its own dedicated stem cells. These adult stem cells replace tissue that is lost due to wear and tear, trauma and disease. Adult stem cells are highly specialised and can only produce the tissue in which they reside, making them multipotent. Examples are bone marrow stem cells that make all blood cells, skin stem cells and gut stem cells. Even the brain is now known to harbour its specialised stem cells. Adult stem cells allow us to live to the high life expectancy we know of 80-90 years old. However, this comes at a cost because they are the cells that most easily transform into cancer cells.
    Both types of stem cells can be used to establish ‘organoids’, 3D structures established in a dish, that recapitulate many aspects of the organ they represent. Pluripotent stem cells can be taken through the developmental steps that establish organs during embryogenesis. This has worked particularly well for parts of the central nervous system, the kidney and gastrointestinal organs. We have shown that adult epithelial stem cells carrying the generic Lgr5 marker can be cultured under tissue-repair conditions. These cells can also generate epithelial organoids directly from healthy and diseased organs such as from the gut, the liver, the lung and the pancreas. Organoid technology opens a range of avenues for the study of development, physiology and disease, for drug development and for personalised medicine. In the long run, cultured mini-organs may replace transplant organs from donors and hold promise in gene therapy.

  • Life Science Across the Globe: Sustainability

    Speaker: Rob Martienssen Sarah Hearne Raviga Sambanthamurthi
    Host: Life Science Across the Globe
    Date: 01/12/2021 at 2:00pm in the Webinar.

    Further information

    Zoom link: https://hhmi.zoom.us/j/95859517201?pwd=b2pha2xhWWk4a1BteWJrcStVUWdOQT09

    Zoom information - ID: 958 5951 7201 Passcode: 489171

    More information: https://lifescienceacrosstheglobe.org/

    Moderator:
    Marc Van Montagu, Chairman, VIB-International Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO), Belgium

    Speakers:
    Rob Martienssen, Professor and HHMI Investigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), US
    Sarah Hearne, Principal Scientist, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico
    Raviga Sambanthamurthi, Former Director, MPOB Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre, Malaysia