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The ICR's Sir Richard Doll building

Division of Structural Biology

The Division of Structural Biology aims to describe the structural and biochemical properties of proteins and the complexes they form, in order to understand the significance of these proteins in the development and treatment of cancer.

Aims, facilities and activity in this division

Researchers in the division use a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques to understand protein structures, with a particular focus on X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy.

By combining structural biology with biochemistry and functional studies, researchers are able to gain an understanding of important biochemical interactions in the spread of cancer throughout a patient’s body.

Consequently, several group leaders in Structural biology have joint appointments with other divisions (e.g. Cancer Biology and Cancer Therapeutics) to facilitate the exploitation of the molecular understanding of biological mechanisms in the development of new cancer therapies.

Current research activities include studying key cancer stem cell signalling processes , the role of the proteasome and the Cop9 signalosome in protein degradation and turnover, and transcription regulation .

All of these research areas have the potential to open up novel therapeutic strategies. The division also uses high-throughput screening on a variety of cancer targets, in order to identify and develop potential new candidate drugs for cancer therapy .

Video: ICR researchers led by Professor Alessandro Vannini have captured images of molecular machinery called RNA Polymerase III in the act of transcribing a gene in exquisite and unprecedented detail.

Research group leaders

Professor Laurence Pearl

Head of Division

Macromolecular Structural Biology

Professor Sebastian Guettler

Deputy Head of Division

Structural Biology of Cell Signalling

Dr Claudio Alfieri

Dr Claudio Alfieri

Group Leader

Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation

Basil Greber

Dr Basil Greber

Group Leader

Structural Biology of DNA Repair Complexes

Vlad Pena

Professor Vlad Pena

Group Leader

Mechanisms and Regulation of pre-mRNA Splicing

Dr Rob Van Montfort

Group Leader

Hit Discovery and Structural Design

Recent news and discoveries

Groundbreaking methodological advance will support the design of innovative new cancer drugs

10/04/24

Scientists have successfully used a new imaging technique to determine the structure and interactions of a protein complex that plays a significant part in the initiation and progression of cancer.

Breast cancer cell timelapse

ICR welcomes FDA approval of first-in-class breast cancer drug

17/11/23

The ICR strongly welcomes the news that a new targeted drug, capivasertib, has been approved by the US FDA for treating the most common type of advanced breast cancer. The drug was discovered by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca following a programme of drug discovery research at the ICR in collaboration with Astex Pharmaceuticals.

High-resolution 3D structure of the SIN3B human protein complex.

Detailed structure of understudied cell division ‘nanomachine’ revealed

31/05/23

Researchers have revealed, at high-resolution, the structure of a human protein complex named SIN3B, which is a ‘nanomachine’ involved in regulating cell division – a fundamental process for life which, if it becomes uncontrolled, can lead to cancer.

Cell ‘nanobot’ breakthrough shines light on cause of aggressive cancers

10/05/23

Scientists have uncovered the inner workings of one of the most important and intricate ‘nanobots’ operating within our cells – using cutting-edge microscopy for visualising molecules almost at an atomic level. Their new study published in Nature has unveiled the critical step that switches on the spliceosome – a piece of cellular machinery that enables cells to build complex proteins.

See all discoveries