News
July 2026
FLY-NEUROCAN Workshop
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
8 July 2026Dr Isabel M Palacios from CMCB contributed with her charity DrosAfrica to the FLY-NEUROCAN Workshop, held from 15–26 June 2026 at the Drosophila Research and Training Centre (DRTC), Ibadan, Nigeria. Isa, together with other DrosAfrica members and other Drosophilist in the world, taught participants from various countries in Africa how to use ... [more]
Environmental bacteria can be engineered to break down plastics
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
2 July 2026A new study published in Trends in Biotechnology, led by José I. Jiménez from Imperial College London and involving collaborators from the University of Surrey, Northwest University, Leipzig University, Kyungpook National University, Bacmine, and RWTH Aachen University, together with Zheren Zhang from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology, shows ... [more]
June 2026
DrosAfrica Celebrates the Launch of BloSTEMEI -Expanding their Partnership in STEM Education
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
25 June 2026DrosAfrica are delighted to announce the launch of the Blossom STEM Education Initiative (BloSTEMEI) , a new non-profit organisation that has grown from their long-standing partnership with Droso4Nigeria. DrosAfrica was co-created by Dr Palacios from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology as a charity dedicated to advancing scientific education and ... [more]
New study reveals far-red photosynthesis
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
23 June 2026A recent study published in Science Advances led by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and involving collaborators from Imperial College London and Tanai Cardona from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology sheds new light on an unusual mode of photosynthesis. The research focused on Acaryochloris marina NIES-2412, a cyanobacterium capable of performing ... [more]
Chengchen Wu shortlisted for QMUL Research Technician 2026
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
18 June 2026As part of The Queen Mary Research and Innovation Awards 2026 this award is given to a member of technical staff whose exceptional practical skills, commitment and vision has enabled the highest quality research, innovation or knowledge exchange. Chengchen Wu, Cell Dynamics & Super Resolution Technican at the Centre for Molecular Cell ... [more]
Summer research internships for undergraduate students
Faculty of Science and Engineering
13 June 2026Ten talented undergraduate students from across a wide range of Science and Engineering programmes are embarking on exciting summer research internships under the mentorship of academic supervisors. This fantastic opportunity has been made possible through the QMUL Summer Training Research Initiative to Support Diversity and Equality (STRIDE) and the London ... [more]
Kinesin motor proteins emerge as potential targets for neurodegenerative disease
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
10 June 2026A study at the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology (Palacios lab in collaboration with Whitworth lab and Talisman Therapeutics Ltd, Cambridge, UK) demonstrates that the motor proteins kinesin-1 and kinesin-3 are required for the survival of both Drosophila and human neurons and shows that increasing their activity can alleviate neurodegenerative ... [more]
May 2026
Innovation paves way to make 'clean' chemicals, plastics and food using solar energy
Faculty of Science and Engineering
19 May 2026Integrated solar reactor uses sunlight, water, CO2 and engineered bacteria to grow biomass in a single beaker. A new study led by Dr Lin Su of Queen Mary University of London, published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes a new integrated solar reactor in which engineered ... [more]
New insights into the control of cell-to-cell variation within bacterial communities
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
17 May 2026By analysing gene expression at the single-cell level, researchers at the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of West London and Tampere University, have uncovered how premature termination of transcription shapes differences between individual members of bacterial communities. Because gene expression is stochastic and ... [more]
April 2026
Covalent probes help identify a key vulnerability in cellular senescence
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
30 April 2026Researchers from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology contributed to a study of cellular senescence published in the journal Nature Cell Biology. Cellular senescence is a stress-response state in which cells permanently stop dividing but remain metabolically active, contributing to tissue repair and tumor suppression, while the accumulation of persistent ... [more]
New Minireview on the impact of cyanobacterium Synechocystis research
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
8 April 2026Researchers from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology have co-authored a Minireview exploring the impact of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the most widely studied laboratory cyanobacterium. The article appears in a Special Series on the History of Microbial Model Systems published in the Journal of Bacteriology. Working in collaboration with colleagues ... [more]
March 2026
New study of microtubule end stabilisation by human kinetochores
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
24 March 2026During cell division, each of the two daughter cells must receive exactly one copy of the mother cell's genome. To achieve this precision, chromosomes need to be firmly attached to microtubules, dynamic filaments that form the mitotic spindle. To understand how this firm attachments are held together, researchers at the ... [more]