News

How plant roots generate a hormone gradient

The research team that developed a biosensor that first recorded that a distinct gradient of the plant growth hormone gibberellin correlated with plant cell size has now revealed how this distribution pattern is created in roots.

New research team joins SLCU

Chris Whitewoods will join the SLCU research leadership team to head a new research group focused on understanding how plants pattern themselves in three dimensions.

SLCU joins EU partners in 11 million euro cell division project

SLCU's François Nédélec has joined Andrea Musacchio , from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, and Thomas Surrey , from the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, to study one of the most fundamental processes in life – cell division. Their project has been awarded a prestigious ERC Synergy...

New insights could help plants fortify walls against root pathogens

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) researchers, as part of a multidisciplinary international team, have uncovered a mechanism controlling subtle changes to the architecture of cell walls in plant roots that bolsters their defence against Phytophthora palmivora without negatively affecting plant growth.

Giles Oldroyd elected as member of EMBO

Professor Giles Oldroyd is among 63 other scientists from around the world elected this year as Members and Associate Members of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).

Cells in tight spaces – how the cytoskeleton responds to different cell geometries

Inside every living cell, there is a network of protein filaments providing an interior scaffold controlling the cell’s shape called the cytoskeleton. Research from the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) suggests that this relationship might actually be two-way, with cell geometry itself having the capacity to influence the organisation of the cytoskeleton in living plant cells.

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser appointed as new CEO of UKRI

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE FRS, Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.

Giles Oldroyd elected as a fellow of the Royal Society

Professor Giles Oldroyd has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to science in plant-microbe interactions with his election as a fellow of the Royal Society.

2020 Waddington Medal

SLCU Director Professor Ottoline Leyser has been awarded the 2020 Waddington Medal by the British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB).

Discovery of expanding pectin nanofilaments that manipulate plant cell shapes

Scientists have discovered new filamentous structures within plant cell walls that influence cell growth and help build complex three-dimensional cell shapes.

Plant science at Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is home to one of the largest concentrations of plant research anywhere in the world. Visit the below organisations to find out about their work in sustainable agriculture, conservation and fundamental research.

Department of Plant Sciences

Crop Science Centre

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Cambridge University Herbarium

Cambridge Global Food Security

Cambridge Centre for Physical Biology

Conservation Research Institute

Plants @ Cambridge Hub

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