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. 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

  • *Science Talk: Brain control of adaptive immunity **Science Culture Talk: Center for Life Sciences

    Speaker: *Hai Qi, Professor, Tsinghua University **Chao Tang, Professor, Peking University
    Host: Life Science Across the Globe: A Sister Institute Seminar Series
    Date: 19/08/2020 at 2:00pm in the Webinar.

    Further information

    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://hhmi.zoom.us/j/93793431497

    For more information, please visit
    www.lifescienceacrosstheglobe.org

  • Study virus assembly and host interactions in vitro and in cells by cryoEM and cryoET

    Speaker: Peijun Zhang, Professor of Structural Biology and Wellcome Trust Investigator, University of Oxford
    Host: Andrew Carter
    Date: 08/09/2020 at 11:00am in the Webinar.

    Further information

    With cryoEM, structures of purified proteins and protein complexes can be routinely determined to near-atomic resolution using single particle analysis (SPA) method. Structures of macromolecular complexes that are intrinsically flexible and non-homogeneous, and often function in higher-order assemblies that are difficult to purify, have recently been analyzed to near near-atomic resolution using cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram averaging (cryoET STA). The study of these complexes and assemblies in cells using cryoET STA, coupled with cryoFIB and correlative imaging, opens a new frontier in structural cell biology. I will present our recent studies on HIV-1 capsid and its interaction with host factor cyclophilin A, cellular assembly of human reovirus and infection of SARS-Cov-2, to illustrate the power of integrated multiscale imaging from atoms to cells by cryo-electron microscopy.

  • Next Generation Biophysics (via Zoom)

    Speaker: Various
    Host: Chris Johnson
    Date: 07/10/2020 at 11:00am in the Webinar.

    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.


    The below link will provide some further information on the speakers.


    https://www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/sites/nextgen/

    Thank you,
    Chris

  • The African killifish: a vertebrate model to understand aging and ‘suspended animation

    Speaker: Anne Brunet, Michele and Timothy Barakett Professor of Genetics, Stanford University, USA
    Host: Rebecca Taylor
    Date: 03/11/2020 at 4:00pm in the Webinar.

    Further information

    We have pioneered a new model organism for aging research, the naturally short-lived African killifish Nothobranchius furzeri. The African killifish lives in ephemeral pools of water in Africa, and has evolved a short life cycle adapted to this habitat. Its embryos can also resist drought until the next wet season in a state of ‘suspended life’. In laboratory conditions, the African killifish has a maximal lifespan of about 4-6 months, and is, so far, the shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in captivity. The natural short lifespan make the African killifish an ideal model to probe the mechanisms of aging in vertebrates. We have successfully transformed this natural short-lived vertebrate into a usable model organism for aging research. We have completed the first de novo assembly of the African killifish genome using deep sequencing and have successfully developed CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome-editing in this fish. The development of modern genomic tools in the African killifish are major steps in pioneering this species as a new vertebrate model for aging research. Our goal is to use this model to discover new principles underlying aging, longevity, and ‘suspended animation’ in vertebrates. We already identified several loci associated with survival between different strains of the African killifish from different regions. Using genome-editing, we have generated strains deficient for several genes in nutrient-sensing and epigenetic pathways. We want to develop this system to examine the role of new vertebrate-specific genes in aging. We are excited to use this system to understand the principles underlying ‘suspended animation’ and whether they have the ability to preserve tissues and organs long-term.