A membrane protein laboratory for integrative structural biology

Membrane proteins are found at the junctions between the outside world and the inner workings of the cell. Multicellular organisms such as humans use membrane proteins for communication, to acquire nutrients and detect threats. More than half of all medicines alter membrane protein function. Membrane proteins are difficult to handle (produce and isolate) as they prefer non-water based environments, making them understudied despite their importance in medicines discovery. Integrating structural information from the different size and time scales of nature is key to inform on protein function. The Membrane Protein Laboratory (MPL) aims to bring together support for handling membrane proteins with key structural technologies allowing scientists to harness the power of an integrative approach. As a national community biomedical resource, the MPL will drive and enable access to technological advances that underpin the UKs leading role in structural biology and medical research.