Research
The Astbury Centre brings together structural molecular biologists, cell biologists, chemists and physicists who want to use the power of interdisciplinary science to understand the dynamic biological processes that underpin life. We are working to understand how the structure and function of a wide range of biological molecules (and the complexes they make) underpin the function of healthy cells and to understand what goes wrong in disease. The Astbury Centre specialises in all major techniques for high-resolution structure determination of large molecules, including cryo-electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, as well as a battery of sophisticated biophysical tools such as mass spectrometry, confocal and super-resolution imaging, atomic force microscopy amongst many others.
Crucial to the mission of the Centre is to integrate the results of structural studies with powerful programmes of functional analysis, and further support our discoveries by theoretical analyses such as bioinformatics, molecular modelling and simulation. Our mission is therefore to use the power of modern integrated structural biology to drive new biological and biomedical discovery, and deliver on our ultimate aim: to understand life in molecular detail.
Research Themes
Our research themes address major impact-oriented challenges by drawing on the full breadth of our interdisciplinary capabilities. In each theme, there is a buoyant portfolio of research involving large numbers of PIs within the Centre that additionally draws on our partnerships with academic, clinical and industrial collaborators. The themes are part of broader remit of Astbury Centre which is to harness interdisciplinary approaches to understand life in molecular detail.
Research Capabilities
We harness the power of interdisciplinary science to unravel the molecular mechanisms that underpin life. We develop and harness a wide range of techniques, often in combination, to address major research questions. We have outstanding research capabilities in structural molecular biology, biophysics, chemical biology and molecular interactions in cells.
News
How does the body stop bleeding?
For the first time, scientists at University of Leeds reveal a complex mechanism behind blood clotting. The findings, published in Science Advances, visualise a key component of blood clotting - platelet myosin – and how it is activated. activated. Using the powerful cryo-EM technology imaging equipment housed in the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory here at Leeds, scientists found key...
Scientists reveal how first-in-class therapeutic drug treats cardiac disease at the molecular level
Researchers at the University of Leeds have uncovered exactly how the breakthrough cardiac therapeutic mavacamten works at a molecular level, providing critical new insight into how excessive heart muscle contraction can be safely regulated in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In a study published in Science Advances, scientists from the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology and the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic...
Colourful TRP tease: chromatic control of ion channels
New photo-switchable chemical probes allow the precise control of ion channel activity in cells and tissues using different wavelengths of light. A study by a consortium of researchers from Germany and the Astbury Centre demonstrates the concept of ‘ideal efficacy switching’ as an exquisite way to control biological activity. The work, led by Prof. Oliver...