LMB / Science / Facilities / Biophysics
Stephen MacLaughlin

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Facilities

Biophysics

The Biophysics facility brings together established theories and methods from the physical sciences and applies these to all areas of research in the LMB.

Researchers can access a wide range of biophysical techniques that probe the hydrodynamic, spectroscopic, thermodynamic and physical properties of biological macromolecules and their interactions. Techniques covered include: sensor-based platforms such as Biacore, Octet and SwitchSense; titration and scanning calorimetry; analytical centrifugation; circular and linear dichroism; fluorescence and scanning fluorimetry; static and dynamic light scattering; microscale thermophoresis; rapid reaction relaxation kinetics and single-molecule spectroscopies, including optical tweezers. 

An illustration showing biological questions which are enclosed in different coloured hoops linked to the biophysical techniques used to answer them
The LMB houses a broad resource of biophysical technologies. The examples above illustrate how different techniques can address a range of fundamental questions.

The biophysics team provides an annual lecture series on methods and instrumentation within the LMB to help researchers, as well as offering detailed one-to-one training as required. Facility experts can discuss the design of proposed experiments and advise on the interpretation and fitting of results. The team also engages in fully collaborative projects where there is a requirement for specialist skills in the design and execution of the work and where analysis and fitting of data are complex.

In collaboration with the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, the facility organises an annual Next Generation Biophysics Symposium on cutting-edge biophysical techniques.

Selected Publications

FANCD2-FANCI surveys DNA and recognizes double- to single-stranded junctions.Alcón P, Kaczmarczyk AP, Ray KK, Liolios T, Guilbaud G, Sijacki T, Shen Y, McLaughlin SH, Sale JE, Knipscheer P, Rueda DS, Passmore LANature 632(8027): 1165-1173 (2024)
Disease-specific tau filaments assemble via polymorphic intermediates.Lövestam S, Li D, Wagstaff JL, Kotecha A, Kimanius D, McLaughlin SH, Murzin AG, Freund SMV, Goedert M, Scheres SHWNature 625(7993): 119-125 (2024)
Structural mechanism of outer kinetochore Dam1-Ndc80 complex assembly on microtubules.Muir KW, Batters C, Dendooven T, Yang J, Zhang Z, Burt A, Barford DScience 382(6675): 1184-1190 (2023)
Target-induced clustering activates Trim-Away of pathogens and proteins.Zeng J, Santos AF, Mukadam AS, Osswald M, Jacques DA, Dickson CF, McLaughlin SH, Johnson CM, Kiss L, Luptak J, Renner N, Vaysburd M, McEwan WA, Morais-de-Sá E, Clift D, James LCNat Struct Mol Biol 28(3): 278-289 (2021)