Professor Neil Ranson has been appointed Director of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology. Professor Ranson joined Leeds as a University Research Fellow in 2002 and has been a member of the Astbury Centre ever since. He was previously Professor of Structural Molecular Biology and has helped establish the University as a major force...
Congratulations to Becky Thompson who has been recognised with a prestigious award for her contribution to the Astbury Centre and University. Held for the sixth time, the awards aim to acknowledge and celebrate women who share a common commitment to excellence and have performed outstandingly in their fields, whether this be in research, student education...
Scientists at Leeds are part of an international collaboration that has designed a protein that self-assembles into an artificial pore. The protein sequence spontaneously transforms into a "transmembrane beta-barrel" – a tiny conduit or pore that embeds itself into a lipid membrane, mimicking its natural counterparts which are found in the walls of bacterial cells...
The UK's leading scientific academy – the Royal Society – has announced that Professor Sheena Radford is to receive one of its most prestigious research awards. The Research Professorship will enable Professor Radford, Director of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, to develop new techniques to "see the unseen" and reveal the way that...
Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus ‘package up’ their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells. Once a cell is infected, a virus needs to spread its genetic material to other cells. This is a complex process involving the creation of what are...
University of Leeds research has shown how microbubbles carrying powerful cancer drugs can be guided to the site of a tumour using antibodies. Microbubbles are small manufactured spheres half the size of a red blood cell - and scientists believe they can be used to transport drugs to highly specific locations within the body. Professor...
A visualisation made from nearly 100,000 electron microscope images has revealed the ingenious way a protein involved in muscle activity shuts itself down to conserve energy. The protein, called myosin, is known as a molecular motor because of the way it interacts with other proteins and energy molecules to generate force and movement. It is...
Scientists have discovered how drug-like small molecules can regulate the activity of therapeutically relevant ion channels - and their findings could transform ongoing drug development efforts. The new study provides detailed insight into the regulation of TRPC5 ion channels, which allow positively charged ions such as calcium, sodium and potassium to flow in and out...
Congratulations to David Brockwell on his recent promotion to Professor.
Congratulations to Andrew Macdonald who has been promoted to Professor of Tumour Virology. Andrew is Head of School for Molecular and Cellular Biology and a member of the Astbury Centre.