The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University, opened in 2011, will house 150 scientists, technicians and support staff working at the frontiers of knowledge in plant growth and development, addressing some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

"We know too little about the fundamental processes of plant development to be able to predict how the changes in DNA sequence that we introduce by plant breeding will affect the growth and form of the plant. Empowered by generous and long-term funding of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, we will try to solve this fundamental problem, by working at the interface of experimental plant science and computational biology to develop predictive models of plant growth and development."

Professor Elliot Meyerowitz, Inaugural Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University

Gatsby's largest ever commitment in plant science has funded the building of a new state-of-the-art research institute – The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU).  Set within the inspirational grounds of the University’s Botanic Garden, the aim of the Laboratory is to elucidate the regulatory systems underlying plant growth and development.

Plants are the foundation for virtually every ecosystem and agricultural system on Earth.  A fundamental understanding of how plants grow and develop is therefore paramount for the long-term security of a sustainable supply of food and other plant products, such as fuel, fibres and building materials.

The study of plant development is being transformed by the new scientific and technical resources becoming available to biologists, including high-throughput DNA sequencing, new imaging methods, increasingly sophisticated genetic tools, and refined chemical interventions.  The data derived from these approaches has opened the way for predictive computational models, which are essential for understanding the dynamic, self-organising properties of plants.

We now have an unprecedented opportunity to obtain an integrated understanding of plant development, setting the stage for a new synthesis that will draw on molecular, cellular, whole plant, and population biology to elucidate how plants are constructed.  SLCU is establishing a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment that will capitalise on these exciting opportunities.

Inaugural Director – Professor Elliot Meyerowitz
Plant meristem biology

Associate Director – Professor Ottoline Leyser
Shoot branching control