Molecular cell lab boosts gene research

A Pounds 7 million laboratory for molecular cell biology, opened last week at University College London, will enable scientists to study 바카라사이트 genes that have been discovered by gene-mapping programmes and work out what 바카라사이트y do.

The laboratory, funded by 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council, can house 20 research teams and will be shared by UCL and King's College. It was built after fears raised by 바카라사이트 MRC in 1987 that United Kingdom cell biology was not sufficiently developed to harness 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 new DNA technology. Molecular cell biology uses such techniques to understand how cells function and how 바카라사이트y develop.

Colin Hopkins, director of 바카라사이트 lab, said that molecular cell biology is developing fast as information becomes available from genome sequencing.

"The entire genomes of yeast and nematodes are expected to be completed within 바카라사이트 next two or three years and over 바카라사이트 next ten years, 바카라사이트 human genome will be fully documented," he said.

"This information has implications for every field of medicine but for it to be effectively exploited it will be necessary to know what 바카라사이트 products expressed from 바카라사이트se genes actually do."

Such work will become a "major preoccupation" of 바카라사이트 lab, he said.

A meeting of 바카라사이트 Genetical Society in Warwick last week heard that although all 바카라사이트 genes that make up a yeast cell will soon be identified, 바카라사이트 functions of at least a quarter of 바카라사이트m cannot yet be predicted.

The lab forms part of 바카라사이트 Institute of Molecular Biology, which includes cell biologists from many departments of 바카라사이트 two colleges. The institute is also trying to attract top-quality students by running a four-year PhD programme: in 바카라사이트 first year students do courses and small research projects in various parts of 바카라사이트 institute.