The mission of the Structural Biology Laboratory (STRUBI) at the University of Oxford is to advance our understanding of fundamental biological processes through the study of macromolecular structures and mechanisms, including proteins, viruses, nucleic acids, and their complexes. STRUBI employs a combination of advanced structural biology techniques, alongside biochemical and computational approaches, to tackle critical questions in molecular and cellular biology, with a focus on health and disease. The laboratory's research is particularly centred on two main themes: host-virus interactions and cell surface signalling assemblies.
STRUBI encompasses the Oxford Particle Imaging Centre (OPIC), which was designed as one of the first facilities worldwide to house state of the art cryo electron microscopy and tomography within BL3 containment.
STRUBI is a sub-department of the Nuffield department of Medicine within the university of Oxford. We share the Henry Wellcome building with CHG and COI
STRUBI’s mission aligns with the overarching goals of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine and the Medical Research Council (MRC), which emphasize the integration of structural biology into translational research, fostering innovations that benefit both basic science and clinical applications.
News
Unveiling the mystery: Scientists Reveal the Determinants That Control the Nuclear Import of HIV-1
11 July 2025
A team of researchers from Prof. Peijun Zhang’s lab has achieved a breakthrough in understanding how HIV-1 traverse through the NPC into the nucleus of human cells. Using a powerful combination of the-art-of-the-state cryo-electron microscopy techniques, the scientists captured nearly 1,500 viral cores in the act of nuclear import, a fleeting and elusive step in HIV-1’s life cycle.
The first publication from our newly installed Plasma FIB Arctis microscope
15 January 2025
The study used the Plasma FIB Arctis to mill thin cellular lamella samples which were then imaged on our Krios using cryo-electron tomography, to examine transient alterations of the nuclear envelope. This revealed a new mechanism by which cells repair DNA damage caused by TOP1cc, highlighting the crucial role of selective autophagy and the protein TEX264 in maintaining genome stability and cell survival.
£3.7 million Wellcome Trust Discovery Award, led by Professor David Strutt (University of Sheffield) and Professor Yvonne Jones will focus on unravelling how symmetry breaking establishes planar polarity—the coordinated orientation of cells across a tissue plane.
15 January 2025
Using advanced imaging technologies, including light and electron cryo-microscopy, alongside molecular, cellular, and genetic tools, the team will build a detailed understanding of how protein complexes and cells achieve symmetry breaking to form polarised structures.
Congratulations to Prof. Yvonne Jones on receiving the Mabel FitzGerald medal!
28 November 2024
On 28th November 2024, Prof. Yvonne Jones delivered the annual lecture dedicated to pioneering physiologist Mabel FitzGerald at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics of the University of Oxford.