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

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
Insight on Research
The cellular switch that explains why humans aren’t nocturnal
Kelly Nguyen on blurred background
LMB News
Kelly Nguyen named the 2026 Blavatnik Award Life Science Laureate
Comparison of ribozyme structures.
Insight on Research
Bridging the gap from chemistry to life: discovery of a tiny RNA that can copy itself
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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 16 / 03 / 2026
The Tubulin Code – how basic Molecular Tuning Knobs control Complex Neuronal Functions Carsten Janke, Institut Curie
informal seminar 20 / 03 / 2026
Helios acts as a modulator of T cell effector and exhaustion differentiation Jose C. Crispin, Mexican Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran
divisional seminar 25 / 03 / 2026
Phages counteract bacterial immunity in myriad ways. Nassos Typas, EMBL Heidelberg
lmb seminar 27 / 03 / 2026
LMB Seminar: Reconstructing biomolecular condensates for translation Ruth Lehmann, Whitehead Institute, MIT
divisional seminar 01 / 04 / 2026
Structural Biochemistry, Quantitative Electron Cryotomography Sebastian Tacke, MPI Molecular Physiology
divisional seminar 07 / 04 / 2026
Divide and conquer – Mechanisms of bacterial multicellular development Susan Schlimpert, John Innes Centre
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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

Purification of the Active-State G Protein-Coupled Receptor ADGRL4 for Cryo-Electron Microscopy Using a Modular Tag System and a Tethered mini‑G. (5th Mar 2026)Favara DM, Tate CGBio Protoc • 16(5):e5617 • doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5617
aGPCR-HEK: A Stable High-Expression Inducible Mammalian Cell Expression System for Adhesion GPCR Structural Biology Applications. (5th Mar 2026)Favara DM, Tate CGBio Protoc • 16(5):e5621 • doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5621
Antonio García-Bellido (1936-2025). (9th Mar 2026)Lawrence PACurr Biol • 36(5):R173-R177 • doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.055
Mechanistic insights into lenacapavir-induced off-pathway HIV-1 capsid assembly. (17th Mar 2026)Gupta M, Waltmann C, Renner N, Wang Y, James LC, Jacques DA, Böcking T, Voth GAProc Natl Acad Sci U S A • 123(11):e2524995123 • doi: 10.1073/pnas.2524995123
Visuomotor decision-making through multifeature convergence in the larval zebrafish hindbrain. (5th Mar 2026)Slangewal K, Aimon S, Capelle MQ, Kämpf F, Naumann H, Slanchev K, Baier H, Bahl ANat Commun • 17(1) • doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-69633-4
Brainstem GLP-1 neurons modulate physiological satiation and drive sustained weight loss in obese mice. (3rd Mar 2026)Jiang W, Skoug C, Rodrigues I, Ciabatti E, Gribble FM, Reimann F, Brierley DI, Holt MK, Trapp SMol Metab • 102347 • doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2026.102347
Publishing sleep and chronobiology research without barriers. (6th Dec 2025)O'Neill JNPJ Biol Timing Sleep • 2(1) • doi: 10.1038/s44323-025-00063-z
[Structural Study on the Molecular Interaction of the Pre-mRNA Splicing Factors].Muto YYakugaku Zasshi • 146(3):217-238 • doi: 10.1248/yakushi.25‑00159
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