MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

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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.

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.

2020 LMB Seminar Series speakers (click to expand)

  • Jodi Nunnari – 4pm, 25th February
  • Perutz 2019 Lecture – John Diffley – 11am, 26th February
  • Julie Ahringer – time tbc, 27th March
  • Gerry Rubin – 11am, 3rd April
  • Albert Heck – time tbc, 20th April
  • Perutz 2020 Lecture – David Baker – time tbc, 28th April
  • Peijun Zhang – time tbc, 5th May
  • Kendrew 2020 Lecture – Jonathan Weissman – time tbc, 11th June
  • Nieng Yan – time tbc, 21st September

A full list of LMB Named Lectures to date can be found here.

Details of other local seminars can be found here

  • Protein self-organisation: from nanomachines to amyloids

    Speaker: Dr Andela Saric, Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, UCL
    Host: Lori Passmore
    Date: 04/03/2020 at 11:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    Many cellular processes are driven by functional assemblies of individual molecules that self-organise and operate far from equilibrium. Importantly, these processes occur at a scale that is hard to probe using traditional structural biology approaches. Although this is changing with the advent of CryoEM, many challenges remain in the study of the structure, dynamics and function of macromolecular assemblies. Our group develops minimal computer models to better understand how a large number of macromolecules self-organise into functional nanomachines, and to explore how protein assembly can lead to the generation of pathological structures. In my talk, as examples of our most recent work, I will discuss how these approaches shed light on the physical mechanisms underlying two biological nanomachines – bacterial mechanosensitive channels that convert mechanical signals into chemical, and ESCRTIII filaments that remodel cell membranes. I will discuss the challenges we overcome, our main results, and how we map simulation data onto in vivo experiments to test predictions made. As an example of our modelling strategy applied to structures related to pathologies, I will briefly present our minimal computer model for nucleation and self-replication of amyloid fibrils, and its comparison to the kinetic data on amyloid aggregation.

  • Publishing in Science: an Inside Look

    Speaker: Dr. Seth Scanlon, Associate Editor for Immunology, Haematology and Host-Pathogen Interaction at Science
    Host: Andrew McKenzie
    Date: 04/03/2020 at 11:00am in the Sanger Seminar Room, Level 3, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques: Protein Crystallization

    Speaker: Fabrice Gorrec
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 05/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques: X-ray crystallography structures: project-based approaches and practical tips

    Speaker: Dom Bellini
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 10/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Light Scattering techniques

    Speaker: Chris Johnson
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 12/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Flow Cytometry

    Speaker: Fan Zhang
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 17/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC)

    Speaker: Stephen McLaughlin
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 19/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Curve fitting, errors and analysis of binding data

    Speaker: Chris Johnson and Stephen McLaughlin
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 24/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Bioinformatics

    Speaker: Balaji Santhanam
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 26/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • LMB Seminar Series: Regulation of gene expression and genome organisation

    Speaker: Professor Julie Ahringer, Director, The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge
    Host: Bill Schafer
    Date: 27/03/2020 at 11:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    A fundamental property of a single animal genome sequence is the ability to give rise to diverse cell types. Differential control of the genome establishes gene expression programmes that drive cellular identity and function. I will discuss the regulation of gene expression and genome architecture, focusing on regulatory elements, chromatin domains, and 3D genome organization in C. elegans.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Mass Spectrometry

    Speaker: Mark Skehel
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 31/03/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • Introduction to Biophysical Techniques:Hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry

    Speaker: Glenn Masson
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 02/04/2020 at 10:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • LMB Seminar Series: Extracting function from structure: Lessons from the adult fly connectome

    Speaker: Gerry Rubin, Vice President, HHMI, and Executive Director, Janelia Research Campus.
    Host: Jan Löwe
    Date: 03/04/2020 at 11:00am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    A complete wiring diagram, or connectome, of the Drosophila central nervous system will soon be available, providing the first glimpse of synaptic-level connectivity of the brain of an animal with sophisticated behavior. I will briefly review the series of technical advances that made this possible, and what obstacles remain to be overcome before the connectomes of larger animals can be pursued. Then I will discuss the challenge of how to use the wiring diagram—together with light microscopy, genetically targeted physiology and perturbation during behavior—to understand the neural basis of associative learning, perception, sleep, navigation and more.

  • LMB Seminar Series: TBC

    Speaker: Albert Heck, Professor of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht University
    Host: Madan Mohan and David Barford
    Date: 20/04/2020 in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

  • TBC

    Speaker: Professor Paul Matthews, Imperial College London
    Host: Michael Hastings
    Date: 21/04/2020 at 11:00am in the Sanger Seminar Room, Level 3, LMB.

  • Perutz LMB Seminar: Title tbc

    Speaker: David Baker,
    Host: Manu Derivery
    Date: 28/04/2020 in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    Abstract to follow

  • LMB Seminar Series: Title tbc

    Speaker: Peijun Zhang, Director of the electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC)
    Host: Andrew Carter
    Date: 05/05/2020 in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    Abstract to follow

  • Kendrew LMB Seminar: Title tbc

    Speaker: Jonathan Weissman,Professor Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF
    Host: Liz Miller
    Date: 11/06/2020 in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    Abstract to follow

  • LMB Seminar Series: Title tbc

    Speaker: Nieng Yan, Professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton University
    Host: Andrew Carter
    Date: 21/09/2020 in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    Abstract to follow

  • Next Generation Biophysics

    Speaker: Various
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 10/11/2020 at 9:30am in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre, LMB.

    Further information

    An informal one day meeting organised by Astra Zeneca, MRC LMB and Imperial College London examining the application of cutting edge biophysical techniques in complex biological settings. Bringing together scientists in both academia and industry for stimulating talks and discussions how these new and emerging technologies may be able to address challenging questions in the future.