About the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and MRC Cell Biology Unit

The Medical Research Council opened the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology (LMCB) on the Gower Street Campus of University College London (UCL) in 1993. In April 2001 a new MRC Cell Biology Unit (CBU) was incorporated within the LMCB with Professor Alan Hall as Director. Following Professor Hall's resignation in March 2006 Professor Mark Marsh was appointed as Director.

Aims

• To carry out internationally competitive research into the molecular mechanisms underlying cell behaviour relevant to human disease.
• To provide the structural, technical and intellectual environment that will attract the highest calibre of principle investigator.
• To provide a first class environment for the training of younger scientists at both the pre- and post-doctoral levels in the area of molecular cell biology.
• To integrate the MRC Cell Biology Unit (CBU) with other groups in the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology (LMCB) through promoting synergistic scientific goals and providing core support and facilities.
• To integrate the MRC Cell Biology Unit and other LMCB groups into University College London (UCL), to facilitate cross-departmental interactions and to promote scientific opportunities.

Organisation

The LMCB occupies around 3,000m 2 of floor space accommodating some 130 bench scientists working in 15 independent research groups. Research within the LMCB is supported by numerous funding bodies. Eight groups form the MRC Cell Biology Unit with Prof. Mark Marsh as director. The remaining seven LMCB groups are supported through individual University Appointments or through Senior Fellowships awarded by The Wellcome Trust, The Royal Society and Cancer Research UK. Seventeen MRC funded infrastructure posts ensure the efficient management, administration and servicing of all groups housed within the LMCB. Since 1993, the MRC has supported a four year PhD programme (the first in the UK) and this continues to be a major strength and success of the LMCB. For more details, see the Graduate Programme pages on this site.

LMCB Group Leaders

Scientific focus

The scientific aims of the LMCB & Cell Biology Unit is to provide a molecular understanding of cell behaviour through discovery-based research. Cell biology is one of the most exciting and important areas of biomedical research and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Major human diseases such as cancer, inflammation, neuro-degeneration and bacterial/viral infection are primarily diseases of cells, and without a molecular understanding of the underlying cell biology, intelligent directed therapeutic intervention is impossible.

Our philosophy is that multi-disciplinarity is an essential ingredient for promoting imaginative and innovative discoveries in cell biology. The LMCB has developed an overall programme of research, which is diverse yet synergistic and has achieved this by maintaining a balance of complementary areas of cell biology, recruiting the best possible groups in these areas and facilitating integration across the Unit and non-Unit groups as well as the wider UCL community.

The current scientific strengths of the LMCB & CBU divide roughly into four general biological themes: cytoskeleton, protein trafficking & signal transduction, polarity & morphogenesis and the cell cycle. This work has an impact on at least five important human disease areas: neuronal disorders, cancer, viral infection, inflammation and visual disorders.

Equipment

All groups within the LMCB/CBU have access to state of the art equipment in cell biology. This includes two electron microscopes, one of which is a Tecnai G2 Spirit bought in 2005, two confocal microscopes, one of which is a Radiance 2100MP multi-photon machine bought in 2003, a time lapse video microscopy suite, a variety of fluorescence and GFP microscopes and three microinjection stations.

University Links

The physical location of the LMCB/CBU within the research environment of the UCL campus is a major attraction and offers possibilities for interactions with a huge diversity of groups in the life sciences. Furthermore, all group leaders are affiliated with university departments and while their primary role is research, individuals contribute to undergraduate teaching, particularly in more specialized courses. The close connections to university departments also provides potential opportunities for career advancement within UCL and several LMCB group leaders have been offered permanent positions within their affiliated departments.

Contacts

The contents of this website belong to the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and MRC Cell Biology Unit , if you have any comments or suggestions you can contact our Data Protection contact - Claire Hebblethwaite , Freedom of Information   contact - Ione Karney or the website administrator

This page last modified 25 September, 2009 by LMCB Webmaster.