The membrane protein lab (MPL) at Diamond is a research and training facility for scientists interested in the solving the 3-dimensional structures of membrane proteins by X-ray crystallography. The project is led by Professor So Iwata of the Imperial College London and Professor Dame Louise Johnson at Diamond Light Source. The project has received funding from the Wellcome Trust from June 2006.
The MPL is a joint venture between the Diamond Light Source near Didcot in Oxfordshire and Imperial College London. The MPL is a facility that is open to applications from laboratories anywhere in the world. Visitors can come to the MPL for a few days or a few weeks to learn how we crystallise membrane proteins and to set up many crystallisation trials using our robotic crystallisation system. To apply to the MPL users complete an application form, which is then reviewed by the MPL scientific advisory board. The board will select those projects which will most benefit from staff spending time at the MPL and they will be invited to work in the lab.
