Department Of Biochemistry, University Of Cambridge
About Department Of Biochemistry, University Of Cambridge
The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge is a world-leader in biochemistry research, with eleven alumni having been awarded the Nobel Prize (including Sir Frederick Hopkins, and the double Nobel Prize-winning Frederick Sanger).
Department Of Biochemistry, University Of Cambridge Description
Our Department is the largest within Cambridge University’s School of Biological Sciences; consisting of 59 research groups, based across two main buildings in Cambridge city centre and numerous additional sites across the University, with principle investigators including established University staff and Independent Research Fellows funded by the Royal Society, Research Councils and charities. Accordingly, our internationally recognised research programmes span a wide range of disciplines, such as structural biology, cell signalling, control of gene expression, RNA biology, molecular enzymology, molecular microbiology, plant molecular biology and bioenergy, chemical biology, drug design, cancer, cardiovascular biology and systems biology.
The Department additionally houses multiple core facilities funded by the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC and MRC; including those for NMR, x-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, protein chemistry, metabolomics, and protein and nucleic acid sequencing. In collaboration with the Department of Genetics, we also established the Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, which hosts genomics, proteomics and associated bioinformatics facilities.
Outside of research, our Department plays an increasing role on the national and international scale. Members of our Department participate widely in the funding and governance committees of UK and European Research Councils and research charities. We engage in diverse collaborations with many multinationals, such as GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, and also with numerous smaller biotechnology companies. In addition, our fundamental research has led to Departmental members co-founding commercial ventures, including Biotica and Astex Technology.
Whatever our achievements in scientific discovery and application may be, our most important contribution, however, will always be our graduates and postgraduates, and the future discoveries and contributions they will make to science, industry, government and teaching!
Reviews
In case you missed it, we gave the history section of our website a revamp and major update! Take a look to find out about over 100 years of biochemical research at the University of Cambridge!
https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/about-us/histo ry
#ThrowbackThursday
At the weekend, our Cryo-EM Facility was visited by the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory #CryoCycle Team as part of their 660 mile bike ride across the UK to raise money for International Justice Mission!
To find out more, or to support the CryoCycle, visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund…/ showROFundraiserPage…
Faculty of Biological Sciences at University of Leeds
In case you missed it, two studies involving more than 200 patients have found that a new device that maps the heart, Acutus Medical's AcQMap System, could transform the treatment of patients with irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia).
Dr Andrew Grace, a Research Group Leader in our Department and Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, served as the Principal Clinician for this multinational project.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/new-device -revolutionises-trea…
We've given the history section of our website a revamp and major update! Take a look to find out about over 100 years of biochemical research at the University of Cambridge!
https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/about-us/histo ry
In case you missed it, we were very pleased to announce that Professor Austin Smith was awarded an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to study the plasticity of the pluripotent stem cell network.
Full details at: https://www.cam.ac.uk/…/cambridge-resea rchers-win-european-…
Find out more about Prof Smith's research on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/research/uto/s mitha
In case you missed it, a new publication from the Luisi Group used cryo-electron microscopy to reveal how Hfq and Crc proteins control the translation of specific mRNAs in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/translatio nal-control-in-pseud…
Some of the equipment in our DNA Sequencing Facility looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie! 🚀🛸
https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/facilities/dna -sequencing
In case you missed it, Professor Gerard Evan has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for his work on the Myc protein and in generating mouse models for cancer research.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/gerard-eva n-elected-aacr-fellow
Two studies involving more than 200 patients have found that a new device that maps the heart, Acutus Medical's AcQMap System, could transform the treatment of patients with irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia).
Dr Andrew Grace, a Research Group Leader in our Department and Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, served as the Principal Clinician for this multinational project.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/new-device -revolutionises-trea…
The perfection of contemporary enzymes makes it hard to imagine how they emerged in early evolution from low activity precursors. How can an enzyme specialised for one chemical reaction transition to another function?
In case you missed it, Bert van Loo and colleagues looked at the molecular fossil record of such transitions: in addition to sequence phylogeny and 3D structure they measured reactivity towards four functional groups, representing four chemically distinct promiscuous activities. It turns out that despite chemical differences, two enzyme activities can evolve, without apparent trade-off, in a scenario called 'Exaptive Sub-Functionalisation' (ESF).
Find out more about this Hollfelder-Hyvonen group collaboration at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.8b1 0290
Flexible fellowships and new investigator research grants benefit researchers by allowing them to transition to independence at a time when they are ready.
Dr Monique Gangloff from our Department describes her path to becoming an independent researcher in the latest MRC blog.
https://mrc.ukri.org/…/beyond-the-sprin t-stories-from-the-…/
Here's a little behind the scenes photo from our recent Away Days at Madingley Hall. Aren't our Research Group Leaders a photogenic bunch?!
Check out our website to find out what they're all researching: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/research
Image © Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.
Congratulations to Professor Austin Smith who has been awarded an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to study the plasticity of the pluripotent stem cell network.
Full details at: https://www.cam.ac.uk/…/cambridge-resea rchers-win-european-…
Find out more about Prof Smith's research on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/research/uto/s mitha
A new publication from the Luisi Group uses cryo-electron microscopy to reveal how Hfq and Crc proteins control the translation of specific mRNAs in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/translatio nal-control-in-pseud…
Image © Tom Dendooven, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.
Congratulations to Professor Gerard Evan, who has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for his work on the Myc protein and in generating mouse models for cancer research.
Full details on our website: https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/…/gerard-eva n-elected-aacr-fellow
Image © Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.
The perfection of contemporary enzymes makes it hard to imagine how they emerged in early evolution from low activity precursors. How can an enzyme specialised for one chemical reaction transition to another function?
Bert van Loo and colleagues looked at the molecular fossil record of such transitions: in addition to sequence phylogeny and 3D structure they measured reactivity towards four functional groups, representing four chemically distinct promiscuous activities. It turns out that despite chemical differences, two enzyme activities can evolve, without apparent trade-off, in a scenario called 'Exaptive Sub-Functionalization' (ESF).
Find out more about this Hollfelder-Hyvonen group collaboration at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.8b1 0290
Image © Rhys Grant, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.
We're at Madingley Hall today for our annual Departmental Away Days! What a beautiful place to reflect on our research and on the running of our Department!
Image © Rhys Grant, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.