Structural Biology Laboratory - Elettra

06/10/2025

Le scoperte di Brunkow, Ramsdell e Sakaguchi su cellule T regolatorie e gene FOXP3 spiegano come il corpo evita le malattie autoimmuni e mantiene l’equilibrio immunitario. E hanno cambiato la medicina

06/10/2025

This year’s Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine discovered how the immune system is kept in check.

Our immune system is an evolutionary masterpiece. Every day it protects us from the thousands of different viruses, bacteria and other microbes that attempt to invade our bodies. Without a functioning immune system, we would not survive.

One of the immune system’s marvels is its ability to identify pathogens and differentiate them from the body’s own cells. The microbes that threaten our health do not wear a uniform – they all have different appearances. Many have also developed similarities to human cells, as a form of camouflage. So how does the immune system keep track of what to attack and what to protect? Why doesn’t the immune system attack our bodies more frequently?

Researchers long believed they knew the answer to these questions: that immune cells mature through a process called central immune tolerance. However, our immune system turned out to be more complex than they believed. Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.

The Nobel Prize laureates identified the immune system’s security guards, regulatory T cells, thus laying the foundation for a new field of research. The discoveries have also led to the development of potential medical treatments that are now being evaluated in clinical trials. The hope is to be able to treat or cure autoimmune diseases, provide more effective cancer treatments and prevent serious complications after stem cell transplants.

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/46NpqbG
Popular information: https://bit.ly/46LkbsL
Advanced information: https://bit.ly/3IMCMNc

06/10/2025

Ottimo riassunto della storia del Premio Nobel per la Medicina 2025!

Le scoperte di Brunkow, Ramsdell e Sakaguchi su cellule T regolatorie e gene FOXP3 spiegano come il corpo evita le malattie autoimmuni e mantiene l’equilibrio immunitario. E hanno cambiato la medicina

29/04/2025

Registrations are now open for the International Summer School on “Current and Future Integrative Structural Biology”, taking place in the beautiful city of Padua, Italy, from 7–11 July 2025.
This school, supported by the Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC), will have a strong focus on cryo-EM, along with discussions on other cutting-edge techniques essential for modern structural biology research. Expert international speakers and tutors will provide valuable insights through lectures and practical sessions.

For the full programme, registration information and further details, please visit: www.school2025.cristallografia.org

We look forward to welcoming you to Padua this summer!

27/02/2025

We previously shared the sad news of the passing of Sine Larsen, a highly esteemed member of the IUCr community who served as General Secretary and Treasurer and later as IUCr President. Her dedication to the Union and to the field of crystallography left a lasting impact.

A full obituary reflecting on her remarkable career and contributions is now available in the latest IUCr Newsletter.

📖 Read it here: https://www.iucr.org/news/newsletter/volume-33/number-1/sine-ydun-larsen-19432025

Her legacy will continue to inspire the IUCr and the wider scientific community.

24/02/2025

09/01/2025

The Elettra scientific community is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Sine Larsen, who served for a long time as a valuable member of our Scientific Advisory Council.

She had a remarkable career, spanning various areas of crystallography, from structures of organic molecules and charge density studies, to protein structure analysis. In addition to her own research, she served in numerous leadership roles, including that of IUCr president, the third woman to held the position, after Kathleen Londsdale and Dorothy Hodgkin. She has been heavily involved in the development of synchrotron radiation facilities, as Science Director at ESRF and Max IV. In 2018 she was awarded the prestigious Max Perutz Prize by the European Crystallographic Association, "in recognition of her multi-faceted contributions to crystallography".

01/07/2024

The sister of Venki Ramakrishnan!

Congratulations to Lalita Ramakrishnan, who has been awarded the 2024 Robert Koch Prize in recognition of her pioneering research into tuberculosis!

Lalita is a Group Leader in the LMB’s Cell Biology Division and Head of the University of Cambridge’s Molecular Immunity Unit, which is housed at the LMB.

Read the full news story here: https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/lalita-ramakrishnan-awarded-2024-robert-koch-prize/

22/05/2024

A name that ALL biochemists know very well! And certainly the one with a more ‘structural’ rather than chemical slant…!

Jeremy Berg covers the life of trailblazing biochemist and author Lubert Stryer, who died on the 8th April 2024 aged 86.

Lubert was a postdoctoral visitor working with John Kendrew at the LMB in the 1960s. His textbook ‘Biochemistry’ has guided countless students since the publication of its first edition in 1975.

He is pictured here at the 2014 LMB Alumni Symposium.

Read more in Science here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp9584

15/05/2024

I didn't know this!

When awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, Pierre Curie rejected the prize unless he could share it with his wife Marie. In his response, Pierre was adamant that awarding their research on radioactivity without recognising Marie's essential contribution would be unjust.