The Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics (the Randall) is a research institute of
King's College London located in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It is a centre for study in
allergy
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...
and
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
;
muscle signalling and development; structural biology; muscle biophysics;
cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
motility
Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy.
Definitions
Motility, the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy, can be contrasted with sessility, the state of organisms th ...
and
cytoskeleton
The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is com ...
, and cell imaging.
The Randall continues the tradition of Biophysics at King's established by
Sir John Randall, which produced the studies of the structure of
DNA by
Rosalind Franklin and
Maurice Wilkins. Much of this early work was supported by the
Medical Research Council, who still provide the majority of research funding.
The Biophysics Unit expanded and in the 1960s moved to the site in Drury Lane that later became known as the Randall Institute, incorporating at various stages the King's Biophysics Department, MRC Cell Biophysics Unit, and MRC Muscle and Motility Unit. After King's merged with the Guy's and St Thomas’ Medical Schools in 1998, the Randall Institute research groups moved to new labs on the Guy's Campus at London Bridge, which became the present Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics.
References
External links
The Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics
{{King's College London
Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom
Biophysics organizations
Genetics in the United Kingdom
History of genetics
King's College London