MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences

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MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences

The LMS is a vibrant research environment in which scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the application of biology to medicine.

23/07/2026

We won Imperial College London’s 2026 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Animal Research (Engagement)!

Animal Research Corner was part of the LMS Gene Home at Imperial’s Great Exhibition Road Festival 2025. It invited visitors to explore the role of animals in medical research through conversations with our researchers and interactive activities. More than 1,400 people visited the LMS Gene Home over the festival weekend, with visitors voting it the third most popular activity at the festival.

Animal Research Corner was developed thanks to a fantastic collaboration between the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and Understanding Animal Research .

Congratulations to Yu Liu, Alice Pollard, Anna Napolitano, Lindsay Keith and Thomas Wells on this achievement. 👏

17/07/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Dr CK Wong to the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) as Head of the Endocrine Signalling in Inflammation Group.

Medicines, such as Ozempic, which are based on the gut hormone GLP-1 have transformed the treatment of metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes by helping to regulate blood sugar and appetite. However, we now know that GLP-1 and other gut hormones have effects far beyond just our metabolism.

CK’s research investigates how gut hormones regulate inflammation through communication between the gut, brain and immune system. His team aims to uncover pathways that could inform more precise treatments for chronic diseases driven by metabolic dysfunction and inflammation.

01/04/2026

Congratulations to John Bergqvist, Klaudia Stanik and Shamin Tahasildar on organising an excellent PhD Student Retreat this year!

The retreat’s theme was “Science (Mis)communication – Facts, Fiction, and the Stories In-between” and focused on how information is communicated, interpreted and sometimes distorted.

A huge thank you to the speakers for making the day such a success:
• Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Director of the Influence and Technology Lab,
• Tracey Brown OBE, Director of
• Dr Nita Pillai, Director of Partnerships and Governance at
• Dr Praveen Paul, Co-founder and Director
• Sir David Spiegelhalter, Professor of Statistics

At the retreat the students explored how to navigate communication breakdowns, better articulate research at the policy level and build lasting credibility within the wider scientific community.

The day was a massive success, thank you again to the organisers for a fantastic day!

09/03/2026

Yesterday was so today we are spotlighting Dr Juhi Kumar, a research technician in the Drug Transport and Tumour Metabolism Lab.

“As a research technician, I conduct laboratory experiments and investigate hypotheses that deepen our understanding of cancer resistance and human health—pursuing the same curiosity about science that fascinated me as a child” - Juhi

02/03/2026

Last week, we were delighted to host leading researchers from Japan and the United Kingdom for our two-day S*x Differences in Biology: Emerging Data and Insights Symposium.

The event created space for rich discussion, new perspectives and cross-border collaboration, as participants examined emerging data on s*x chromosomes, epigenetics, developmental biology, immunity, metabolism and cancer.

We’d like to thank the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development for their partnership on this event.

17/02/2026

🎓New PhD positions open!
We’re recruiting for 4 Team Science PhD projects.
Our Team Science PhD programme tackles major challenges in human health through interdisciplinary teamwork, focusing on:
• Nucleic acid sensors in ageing-associated inflammation
• Reproductive health and fertility: ageing, s*x and the environment
We’re also recruiting to our core PhD programme and are seeking 1 PhD student to join a project that will combine protein design and high-throughput in vivo screening to engineer proteins that address major agricultural and medical challenges.
Our students receive a £26,500 tax-free stipend, tuition fee coverage, funding for consumables and visa support.
Join a research community designed to accelerate discovery and develop the next generation of scientists.
Deadline: 10 March, 9am.
👉 Visit the link in our bio to find out more!

11/02/2026

For International Day of Women and Girls in Science we’re highlighting Dr Lila Allou. Lila joined the LMS in 2024 and leads the Genomic Variation and Disease Research Group, which focuses on the effects of changes in chromosome structure on our health.

“I didn’t always know I wanted a career in science when I was growing up. My path began during my training in a Clinical and Medical Genetics Unit, where I met children with rare diseases and their families searching for answers. Seeing firsthand the impact of unanswered medical questions has shaped my scientific journey.”

05/02/2026

Congratulations to Professor Matthias Merkenschlager and collaborators on their Wellcome Discovery Award!🌟

These prestigious awards provide funding for cross-disciplinary teams to pursue bold and creative research ideas that will deliver significant shifts in our understanding of human health and wellbeing.

Professor Matthias Merkenschlager will work with lead Principal Investigator Professor Daniel Panne at the University of Leicester and Professor Benjamin Rowland at the Netherlands Cancer Institute across scales from the atomic to the organismal level to understand the role of the protein complex cohesin in organising a range of genomic processes that are central to human development and disease. 🧬

04/02/2026

Today for World Cancer Day, we’re highlighting some important research our scientists are doing to help find better cancer treatments.

The image shows ovarian cancer cells that have been treated with a drug called Rucaparib. The drug is naturally fluorescent, appearing here in cyan, and works by stopping cancer cells from being able to repair DNA damage and triggering further damage to the cancer cells. Our scientists can visualise these breaks in DNA using a specific antibody, in red. Because the cell nuclei are stained blue, DNA damage shows up as bright pink dots, where each dot is a point of breakage in the DNA. To visualise the cells, they stained the cytoskeleton grey and made the cells express a green fluorescent protein.

Notably, even though every cell is given the exact same dose, different cells show different levels of the drug and varying amounts of DNA damage. At the LMS, we’re working to understand what causes this heterogeneity so we can figure out how to overcome it and ensure the treatment works effectively for every cell.

Thank you to the Drug Transport and Tumour Metabolism Group who shared this image with us!

03/02/2026

We were delighted to welcome students from the to a tour of the LMS last Friday!

This visit was the final part of UWLs incredible enhancement week organised by

The students get the chance to talk to scientists and learn about careers in research they may not have considered before. Meanwhile, our staff get to brush up on their communication skills and get inspired by the students’passion and interest in science.

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Du Cane Road
London
W120NN

Website

http://lms.mrc.ac.uk/

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