3D colour-coded reconstruction of a fruit fly brain connectome, detailing intricate neuronal networks across distinct regions.

Discovering
how life works

This 3D rendering shows the neural connections in a fruit fly brain, which is less than 1 mm across. Read more about the rendering, Greg Jefferis’s group and the FlyWire Consortium.
Molecular model of a replisome, a multi-protein complex (colored blobs) actively replicating a DNA double helix (yellow strand).

Research that spans the breadth of biology

The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) is a research institute dedicated to the understanding of fundamental biological processes at the levels of atoms, molecules, cells and organisms. The knowledge we provide is crucial to solving key problems in human health.

Our Science
A 3D image of the human replisome, the molecular machinery that copies our DNA, captured using electron cryomicroscopy. Discover more about the research exploring how these complexes work.

Latest News

LMB News
Showcasing the intricate beauty of biology at the Cambridge Festival
Insight on Research
First telomerase structure identified in yeast
Insight on Research
A long and dangerous journey: how primordial germ cells migrate in mouse embryos
Madeline Lancaster
LMB News
Madeline Lancaster wins 2026 Suffrage Science Award
Kaz Collins, stood in front of cupboards holding glass bottles
LMB News
Kaz Collins: LMB’s new Manager of Media Prep and Glasswash
Aviv Regev portrait
LMB News
Aviv Regev to deliver 2026 Francis Crick Lecture
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Three women sit at a table smiling and gesturing during a discussion, with one woman's back to the viewer and notebooks on the table.

An unsurpassed environment for researchers

The LMB comprises over 50 scientific groups pursuing ambitious research, supported by cutting-edge scientific facilities and generous core-funding by the MRC/UKRI. We occupy an inspiring, purpose-built building on the thriving Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Working at the LMB

Public Engagement

How we connect with society and inspire the next generation.

Upcoming Events

divisional seminar 14 / 04 / 2026
How cell biology shapes neuronal computation  Emma Kristiina Theisen, Stanford University, USA
divisional seminar 15 / 04 / 2026
Cytiva mRNA–LNPs: Dive into Genomic Medicines and Encapsulation with the NanoAssemblr® Ignite Charles Chesnelong & Moiz Ebrahimjee
divisional seminar 16 / 04 / 2026
Mapping Cytoskeletal Control of Lysosome Transport by Super-Resolution Imaging Melike Lakadamyali, Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
divisional seminar 21 / 04 / 2026
Structural and biochemical characterization of the mycobacterial long chain acyl-CoA carboxylase and NADH dehydrogenases Yingke Liang, Rubinstein Lab, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada
other seminar 23 / 04 / 2026
International Women’s Day Talk: Professor Julie Ahringer Julie Ahringer, University of Cambridge
lmb seminar 27 / 04 / 2026
LMB Seminar: Mechanisms of mRNA packaging and export Clemens Plaschka, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna
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Fluorescent micrograph of a neuronal cell body with numerous radiating filamentous processes.

Progressing science for over 60 years

Since our origins in 1947, the LMB has pioneered the molecular biology revolution and is a world-leading source of new ideas, scientific advances and technology. Our discoveries have led to highly successful commercialisations and medical advances that have improved human life.

Explore Our History Timeline
An axon bundle growing from a human brain organoid within a micropatterned device. Read more about research into axon growth and human brain development. 

Latest Publications

MitoPerturb-Seq identifies gene-specific single-cell responses to mitochondrial DNA depletion and heteroplasmy. (1st Apr 2026)Burr SP, Auckland K, Glynos A, Dhawanjewar A, Ryall C, Wei W, Hynes-Allen A, Prater M, Sczaniecka-Clift M, Prudent J, Chinnery PF, van den Ameele JNat Struct Mol Biol • doi: 10.1038/s41594-026-01779-7
MDA5 generates compact ribonucleoprotein complexes via ATP-dependent double-stranded RNA unwinding. (19th Mar 2026)Quack S, Maity S, America PPB, Klein M, Herrero Del Valle A, Singh R, Joiner JD, Rashid ZM, Smitskamp Q, Rivas P, Papini FS, Broedersz CP, Roos WH, Modis Y, Dulin DNucleic Acids Res • 54(6) • doi: 10.1093/nar/gkag274
Electrophysiological development and functional plasticity in dissociated human cerebral organoids across multiple cell lines. (27th Mar 2026)Pavlinek A, Guerrisi S, O'Driscoll K, Polit LD, Nagy R, Lancaster MA, Vernon AC, Srivastava DPCell Rep Methods • 101371 • doi: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101371
Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors. (16th Jan 2026)Langenhan T, Anderson GR, Araç D, Aust G, Avila-Zozaya M, Bagger SM, Barth P, Berndt S, Blacklow SC, Blanco-Redondo B, Boucard AA, Bridges JP, Brodmerkel LS, Caron KM, Chung YK, Dates AN, de Araujo Farias V, Del Toro D, Duman JG, Engel FB, Favara DM, Formstone CJ, Fu C, Garcia De Las Bayonas A, Georgiadi A, Gloriam DE, Hall RA, Hamann J, Hildebrand PW, Hsiao CC, Huang BX, Javitch JA, Kim HY, Kittel RJ, Kleinau G, Leduc R, Liebscher I, Lin HH, Linnert J, Ludwig MG, Martinelli DC, Mathiasen S, Matúš D, Melkumyan M, Moreno-Salinas AL, Mulder J, Nash MA, Pal K, Pederick DT, Perry-Hauser NA, Piao X, Ping YQ, Placantonakis DG, Pohl F, Prömel S, Rosenkilde MM, Sabbagh L, Sando RC, Scheerer P, Schöneberg T, Seiradake E, Selcho M, Seufert F, Singh AK, Skiniotis G, Spiess K, Sträter N, Strutt D, Südhof TC, Sun J, Tall GG, Thor D, Tilley DG, Tolias KF, Vallon M, Van Meir EG, Vanhollebeke B, Wiggin GR, Wolfrum U, Yan J, Zaidman NA, Zou Y, Scholz NPharmacol Rev • 78(3):100116 • doi: 10.1016/j.pharmr.2026.100116
Cryo-electron microscopy structure of the budding yeast telomerase holoenzyme. (26th Mar 2026)Hu H, Neumann H, Teplitz GM, Franco-Echevarría E, Chartrand P, Wellinger RJ, Nguyen THDScience • 391(6792):eadz5344 • doi: 10.1126/science.adz5344
An entropic measure of diverse specialization highlights multifunctional neurons in annotated connectomes.Moon SS, Ripoll-Sánchez L, Vértes P, Schafer WR, Ahnert SENetw Neurosci • 10(1):204-220 • doi: 10.1162/NETN.a.533
Phage-steering permits antibody-mediated clearance of E. coli K1 from the gut. (24th Mar 2026)Larsson L, Bertola A, Wenner N, Kaur J, Dion S, Lemos Rocha L, Keys T, Rutschmann C, Vershynina K, Dimakou D, Cappio Barazzone E, Lentsch V, Ruoho N, Roese Mores C, Schumann R, Sunagawa S, Denamur E, Slack E, Diard MNat Commun • doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70808-2
Metabolite-induced DNA damage drives stochastic stem cell loss and clonal hematopoiesis. (2nd Apr 2026)Kamimae-Lanning AN, Brown JM, Günther M, Esau F, Russell H, Larcher L, Langevin F, Isobe T, Wilson NK, Dingler FA, Cordell RL, Wang M, Millington CL, Claudino N, Gogola E, Nicholls M, Körber V, Göttgens B, de Bruijn MFTR, Garaycoechea JI, Soulier J, Höfer T, Patel KJCell Stem Cell • 33(4):642-659.e11 • doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2026.02.011
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