Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
At the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology we employ expertise in a wide range of advanced molecular and cellular techniques to understand how biochemical signalling pathways that regulate many vital cell functions are temporally and spatially regulated and localised within cells, and their relevance to human disease.
Our main interests are currently focussed on signalling via the highly versatile family of phosphoinositide (PI) membrane lipids, and the lateral organisation of these lipids within different cell membranes. We have gained an international reputation for our work on PI kinases, in particular the type 2 PI 4-kinase.
Such understanding is important to elucidating how aberrant PI signalling causes remarkably diverse types of cell dysfunction and disease, and to the development of new therapeutics.
Most recently we have identified a novel link between
loss of type 2 PI 4-kinase activity and the human neurodegenerative
disease, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.
We have invested in establishing an extremely well-equipped Centre in modern laboratories, and to interface our research with multiple translational interests located on the Royal Free Campus of UCL.
Demanding areas of Advanced Microscopy, Proteomics and Transgenics that require high-level equipment, skill and experience have been incorporated into the Royal Free Centre for Biomedical Science, which is jointly supported by UCL Medical School and the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust.
