University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne Node of the CCeMMP is located in the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute (Bio21). Bio21 is one of Australia’s largest biotechnology research centres, housing state-of-the-art equipment, scientists, students, university departments and industry groups. Bio21 has international leaders in the characterization of membrane proteins including their structure determination by the complimentary methods of X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy. Members of Bio21, and their collaborators, have world-class facilities to express, purify and optimise samples for cryo-EM including a diverse range of membrane protein targets such as ion channels, bacterial transporters, viral glycoproteins, pore forming toxins and cell signaling receptors.

Bio21 researchers are able to discover and develop small molecules and biologic (eg. antibodies) drugs and study their interaction with key membrane proteins including determination of protein-drug complex structures using cryo-EM.