Timeline

Highlights from the Astbury Centre (A icon) and global highlights relevant to the Astbury Centre (globe icon).

2020

2020

The Astbury Centre continued to work hard during 2020 despite the COVID-19 crisis. Members obtained multi-user equipment grants, large programme grants and training grants, fellowships and celebrated the launch of two spin out companies. 

2020

Professor Sheena Radford awarded an OBE in the Queen's birthday honours list for services to Molecular Biology Research.

2020

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna for discovering one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors.

2019

2019

Walden et al., (Zeqiraj lab) report how the control of BRISC–SHMT2 assembly regulates immune signalling (Nature).

2019

Malone et al., (Ranson lab) reveal the Cryo-EM structure of the spinach cytochrome b6 f complex at a resolution of 3.6 Å (Nature)

2019

Ebo et al., (Radford lab) design an in vivo platform to select and evolve aggregation-resistant proteins. (Nature Communications)

2019

The Astbury Centre celebrated its 20th anniversary with a one day symposium, visiting and current members gave talks and Simon Phillips (the first Astbury Director) returned to open the meeting.

2018

2018

Iadanza et al., ( Radford lab) reveal new insight into the basis of amyloid polymorphisms of β₂-microglobulin fibrils (Nature Communications)

2018

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Frances H. Arnold for the directed evolution of enzymes and George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter for the phage display of peptides and antibodies

2018

The second Astbury Conversation, "Allostery in Biology", was held where keynote speaker Brian Kobilka (Nobel Prize 2012), Stanford University delivered a talk titled “Picture this: How modelling molecules builds our understanding of life”

2017

2017

Patel et al., (Stockley lab) identify key regions of the HBV RNA pre-genome that mediate virus assembly (Nature Microbiology)

2017

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution

2016

2016

Schiffrin et al., (Radford lab) identify Skp as a multivalent chaperone of outer membrane proteins (Nature Structural and Molecular Biology)

2016

Iadanza et al., (Radford lab) highlight lateral opening in the intact β-barrel assembly machinery using Cyo-EM (Nature Communications)

2016

The first Astbury Conversation, "Understanding Complex Macromolecular Systems from Sparse Data", was held where keynote speaker Michael Levitt (Nobel Prize 2013), Stanford University delivered a talk titled “G protein coupled receptors: challenges for drug discovery”

2015

2015

University of Leeds establishes £17m Astbury BioStructure Laboratory

2015

Barnard et al. (AJ Wilson lab) describe selective & potent proteomimetic inhibitors of intracellular protein-protein interactions. (Angew Chem Int Ed)

2015

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar for mechanistic studies of DNA repair

2015

Patel N et al. (Stockley lab) reveal the density of encoded functions in a viral RNA. (PNAS)

2014

2014

M McPherson & DC Tomlinson labs describe Adhirons as stable & versatile peptide display scaffolds for molecular recognition applications.

2014

Tanner SJ et al. (Barr & Edwards lab) publish the crystal structure of the essential transcription anti-terminator M2-1 protein of human respiratory syncytial virus. (PNAS)

2014

Karageorgis G et al. (Nelson lab) develop activity-directed synthesis, a novel bioactive molecular discovery approach. (Nature Chemistry)

2014

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner for “for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy”

2014

Karageorgis G et al. (Nelson lab) discover bioactive scaffolds through activity-directed synthesis. (Nature Chemistry)

2014

Prof Sheena E Radford elected an FRS.

2013

2013

BBC archive recording 'Bragg on the Braggs' History of X-ray crystallography including contribution from Astbury Deputy Director Thomas Edwards.

2012

2012

Kellosalo J et al. (Goldman lab) identify the structure & catalytic cycle of a sodium-pumping pyrophosphatase. (Science)

2012

Williamson et al/ (Turnbull lab) describe the efficient N-terminal labelling of proteins by use of sortase. (Angew Chem Int Ed)

2012

Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to BK Kobilka & RJ Lefkowitz for studies of G-protein coupled receptors.

2012

Prof Sheena E Radford appointed Astbury Director.

2010

2010

Boyne JR et al. (Whitehouse lab) demonstrate that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ORF57 interacts with PYM to enhance viral intronless mRNA translation. (EMBO)

2010

Prof Sheena E Radford elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

2009

2009

Mankouri J et al. (Harris lab) show how hepatitis C virus inhibits a pro-apoptotic K+ channel as a mechanism for virus persistence. (PNAS)

   

2009

Roberts AJ et al. (Burgess lab) Identify the AAA+ ring & linker swing mechanism of the dynein motor. (Cell)

2009

British Association for Science event on Astbury past & present.

   

2009

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded to V Ramakrishnan, TA Steitz & AE Yonath for studies of the structure & function of the ribosome.

2009

Bill Astbury commemorated with Leeds Civic Trust plaque.

   

2009

Astbury@10 symposium takes place.

2007

2007

SEV Phillips, S Carr & J Hadden map the 3D structure of T7 endonuclease, one of a class of enzymes that makes us “unique”.

2007

The first annual Astbury residential research retreat takes place in Kendal, Lake District.

2007

The first annual Astbury lecture is delivered.

2007

Prof Adam Nelson Appointed Astbury Director.

2007

The Astbury centre is acknowledged as a research “Gold Peak”.

2006

2006

Jahn TR et al. (Radford lab) discover that amyloid formation under physiological conditions proceeds via a native-like folding intermediate. (Nature Struct & Mol Biol)

2006

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded to RD Kornberg for studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription.

2006

Whitehouse lab demonstrate how nucleolar trafficking is essential for nuclear export of intronless herpesvirus mRNAs. (PNAS)

2005

2005

Formation of the Astbury Society.

2004

2004

Biophysics & Bionanoscience interdisciplinary institutes are formed under the Astbury umbrella.

2003

2003

Roderick Mackinnon & Peter Agre awarded the Nobel prize in chemistry for discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes.

2003

Griffin S & Harris M discover hepatitis C virus P7 protein is an ion channel.

2002

2002

McParland & VJ et al. (Radford lab) identify the structural properties of an amyloid precursor of β2-microglobulin. (Nature Structural Biology)

2002

Capaldi AP et al. (Radford lab) discover the Im7 folding mechanism: misfolding on the path to the native state. (Nature Structural Biology)

Prof Peter Stockley appointed Astbury director.

1999

1999

Wilmot et al. (Phillips lab) directly visualise dioxygen bound to a mononuclear copper centre during enzyme catalysis. (Science)

1999

Prof Simon EV Phillips appointed Astbury director

1999

Astbury formally constituted as a University of Leeds interdisciplinary research centre.

1998

1998

Convery MA et al. (Phillips/Stockley labs) publish the crystal structure of an RNA aptamer-protein complex 2.8 Å resolution. (Nature Structural Biology)

1997

1997

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to PD Boyer, JE Walker & JC Skou for the elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of ATP & the discovery of an ion-transporting enzyme.

1997

I Wilmut, K Campbell & colleagues at the Roslin Institute clone Dolly the sheep.

1991

1991

ACT North , JBC Findlay, SEV Phillips et al. discover the structure of the mouse major urinary protein.

1990

1990

Astbury Department of Biophysics merges with the Department of Biochemistry.

1989

1989

Phillips SE et al., (Stockley lab) publish the cooperative tandem binding of the met repressor of Escherichia coli. (Nature)

1986

1986

Simon Phillips resolves the first 3D structure of an antibody-antigen complex.

1985

1985

Nobel prize in Chemistry awarded to H Hauptman & J Karle for the development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures.

1982

1982

Sir A Klug awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry for the structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes.

1976

1976

ACT North & PE Nixon derive the structure of human lysozyme from hen egg lysozyme. Represents the first application of molecular replacement.

1973

1973

Anthony CT North appointed as Head of Astbury Department of Biophysics

1972

1972

Nobel prize in Chemistry awarded to CB Anfinsen for the folding of protein chains.

1962

1962

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to F Crick, J Watson & M Wilkins for discoveries concerning the helical structure of DNA.

1962

The first paper on the structure of hen egg lysozyme was published by C.C.F Blake, R.H Fenn, A.C.T North, D.C Phillips and R.J Poljak. This was the first 3D structure of an enzyme and the third of a globular protein, following the myoglobin and haemoglobin structures.

1961

1961

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to MF Perutz & JC Kendrew for the first 3D structures of haemoglobin & myoglobin.

1961

Reginald D Preston appointed head of Astbury Department of Biophysics.

1960

1960

Donald E Nicholson publishes the first metabolic pathway chart

1960

Astbury becomes 4th recipient of Duckett Jones Memorial Award for pioneering & continuing work on X-ray diffraction.

Donald E Nicholson publishes the first metabolic pathway chart.

1953

1953

Astbury awarded American Society of European Chemists medal for his outstanding contribution to scientific relations.

1953

Manton becomes first female head of the department/first female president of the Linnean Society.

1953

Watson and Crick discover first correct double-helix model of DNA structure.

1951

1951

Elwyn Beighton's photograph of wet DNA fibres reveals the classic “black-cross" diffraction pattern and characteristic of helical molecules. Although never published, the photograph shows remarkable similarity to photograph 51 taken in the following year by Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling.

1945

1945

Kathleen Lonsdale one of two women to be elected FRS in that year.

1945

Irene Manton’s cytological work known worldwide for the structure of cilia & flagella.

1940

1940

Bill Astbury elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

1939

1939

Florence Bell awarded a PhD from the University of Leeds. Her thesis contained the first diffraction pattern from DNA fibres and revealed a key piece of information - that the spacing between successive nucleotides in the DNA strand was 3.4 Angstroms (Astbury & Bell (1938) X-ray studies of thymonucleic acid; Nature 141: 747-748).

1939

Dame Kathleen Lonsdale performs pioneering work on the structure of the benzene ring in hexamethylbenzene.

1931

1931

Astbury identifies two major recurring patterns of protein structure (α & β) & takes the first X-ray fibre diffraction pictures of DNA.

1928

1928

WT (Bill) Astbury joins the University of Leeds.

1915

1915

Nobel Prize in Physics (1915) awarded jointly to Sir William Henry Bragg & William Lawrence Bragg for services in the analysis of crystal structures by means of X-rays.

1908

1908

Sir William Bragg joins the University of Leeds.