Learn more about the group

We are part of the Division of Structural Biology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Research

Explore our research on nucleotide excision repair, the CDK-activating kinase, and high-resolution cryo-EM

The Lab

Meet the team

Publications

Browse the list of publications

News from the lab

Now online: Structural basis of CDK recognition by the CDK-activating kinase

October 16th, 2025
Our paper on how the CDK-activating kinase recognises and activates other CDKs has now been published online. Throughout the course of this project, which was spearheaded by Victoria, we determined the structures of the human CAK in complex with CDK2, CDK2-cyclin A, CDK1-cyclin B, and CDK11. Based on this analysis, we derived the molecular mechanisms of substrate recognition by the CAK and proposed a model according to which this mechanisms applies to CAK-CDK complexes more generally. Read the full story at Science.​

New publication on CDK7 resistance to cancer therapeutics

September 8th, 2025
For our most recent collaborative paper, Victoria determined the cryo-EM structure of a drug-resistant CDK7 mutant that the laboratory of Prof. Simak Ali (Imperial College London) discovered by in vitro evolution and then characterised in detail. Intriguingly, this mutant is resistant to reversible, high-affinity competitive inhibitors such as ICEC0942 and SY5609, but sensitive to covalent inhibitors. Read all about it at The EMBO Journal.​

New publication on cyclin docking motif discovery

August 15th, 2025
Our paper on high-throughput CDK-cyclin docking motif discovery, arising from a collaboration led by Dr. Norman Davey at the ICR, has now been published. We contributed the cryo-EM structures of three non-canonical docking peptides bound to CDK2-cyclin A, determined by Natàlia. Read all about it at Nature Communications. ​

New publication on cryo-EM using a 100 kV microscope

July 30th, 2025
Our paper describing high-resolution structure determination of a wide range of macromolecular complexes - including the CDK-activating kinase - using the 100 kV Tundra cryogenic electron microscope has been published. This effort was spearheaded by  Dr. Abhay Kotecha and colleagues at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Read all about it at Structure. ​

Natàlia wins a short talk award!

May 30th, 2025
Natàlia has won a short talk award at the workshop on "Machines acting on DNA and RNA, a molecular mechanistic perspective" at CNIO Madrid. She presented our latest findings on TFIIH activation during nucleotide excision repair. This comes after Victoria and Lucy won poster awards for their presentations at the BSG Winter Meeting at the MRC-LMB and the Chemistry Postgraduate Symposium at Imperial College, respectively. Well done everyone!

New publication on CDK7 inhibition by SY5609

February 28th, 2025
In collaboration with SYROS Pharmaceuticals, the groups of Prof. Dylan Taatjes and Prof. Robin Dowell (both CU Boulder), and Dr. Abhay Kotecha (Thermo Fisher Scientific), we have characterised the clinical CDK7 inhibitor SY-5609. Junjie determined cryo-EM structures of the human CAK bound to SY-5609 and SY-1365 to investigate the mechanisms of target specificity in these compounds. Data from our collaborators provide exciting new insights into the cellular functions of CDK7. Read all about it at Science Advances. 

New pre-print on cyclin docking motif discovery

December 4th, 2024
To support a high-throughput CDK-cyclin docking motif discovery project led by Dr. Norman Davey at the ICR, Natàlia determined cryo-EM structures of three non-canonical docking peptides bound to CDK2-cyclin A. Read all about it on bioRxiv. 

Basil named EMBO Young Investigator

December 3rd, 2024
Basil has been selected as one of twenty-seven young scientists to become EMBO Young Investigators from 2025-2028. Read more about it on the EMBO website.

Review on high-resolution cryo-EM of small complexes

April 4th, 2024
Basil has written a review about high-resolution cryo-EM of small complexes and the application of these methods to the human CDK-activating kinase. Read all about it at Structure.

Another new publication!

March 13th, 2024
In collaboration with the groups of Prof. Simak Ali (Imperial College London) and Dr. Abhay Kotecha (Thermo Fisher Scientific), we established high-resolution/high-throughput cryo-EM workflows tailored for structure-based drug design. Applying these workflows to the ligand-bound human CDK-activating kinase, we determined more than a dozen structures at 2 Å resolution. Read all about it at Nature Communications. 

New publication!

February 16th, 2024
In collaboration with the groups of Prof. Sandro Ataide (University of Sydney) and Dr. Abhay Kotecha (Thermo Fisher Scientific), Junjie determined the structure of the protein-binding domain of the SRP68/72 dimer, which forms part of the eukaryotic signal recognition particle. Read all about it at Nucleic Acids Research. 

New lab members & new year!

January 22nd, 2024
Callum, Amy, and Lucy joined the lab in late 2023. After this growth spurt, we have moved into a larger lab space and are excited to see the science that 2024 has in store for us. 

New job opening!

May 6th, 2023
We are looking for a post-doctoral training fellow to join the lab and pursue structural and functional studies of DNA repair and related processes. Candidates with prior expertise in the biochemistry of nucleic acid-protein complexes or in structural biology/cryo-EM are encouraged to apply. Application deadline is June 4th, 2023.

New pre-print!

April 12th, 2023
We just published the lab's first pre-print! Together with collaborators at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Imperial College, we developed high-resolution and high-throughput cryo-EM workflows for structure-based drug design. We screened large numbers of grids and determined almost 20 structures of inhibitor-bound CAK at 2 Å from the best ones. Have a look on bioRxiv!

Happy new year & welcome Natàlia!

January 12, 2022
The previously empty lab space is now fully furnished, and Natàlia has joined us as a postdoc. We are looking forward to a new year of science and discovery!

New lab space & new lab members

August 23, 2021
We have moved into our newly refurbished lab space a few weeks ago (pictured on the left in its pristine state, though now already filled with lots of instruments and consumables). Junjie has joined the lab as a postdoc at the beginning of the month. Victoria (PhD student) and Natalia (postdoc) will join in the next few months to complete the team.

We are (still) recruiting!

June 1, 2021
Two new lab members have been recruited: Junjie and Victoria will join the lab in the summer and fall, respectively. To expand our team, we are still looking for an MRC-funded post-doctoral training fellow to join the lab. Candidates with prior expertise in the biochemistry of nucleic acid-protein complexes or in structural biology are encouraged to apply. Learn more about this opportunity here.

Structure of the CDK-activating kinase bound to ICEC0942

January 19, 2021
Our latest paper reports the 2.5 Å-resolution structure of the CDK-activating kinase bound to the inhibitor ICEC0942 and has been published in the Biophysical Journal. This work was a collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Simak Ali at Imperial College London and the data were collected during Basil's final days in the Nogales Lab in Berkeley.

MRC Career Development Award to fund our lab!

December 23, 2020
Basil has been awarded a career development fellowship by the MRC. The award will provide funding for the lab and one additional position (to be advertised soon!) for the next 5 years.

Read about our work

October 6, 2020
Céleste Nilges spoke to Basil about his past work and the new lab. Read about it in this blog post on the ICR website.

Raw data available on EMPIAR

October, 2020
​The raw data used for structure determination of the CDK-activating kinase is now available on EMPIAR:
CAK-nucleotide complex: www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/emdb/empiar/entry/10431/
CAK-THZ1 complex: www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/emdb/empiar/entry/10438/

Structure of the human CDK-activating kinase

August 27, 2020
​Basil's work on the structure of the CDK-activating kinase, performed in the Nogales Lab in Berkeley, has been published in PNAS.

The lab is open!

August 21, 2020
​After some delays and the mandatory quarantine, Basil has finally arrived in London! The lab can open its doors.