ISBUC LEGO Molecule Masters

In summer 2023, ISBUC held its first-ever LEGO Molecule Masters competition. For one afternoon, the Junior researchers of ISBUC flexed their LEGO building skills to see who could make the best molecule out of LEGO. It was a great afternoon that will take place again yearly.

Conchita Fraguas Bringas (PhD fellow at NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research) built a ribosome molecule and was the winner of 2023's edition. In ISBUC, we decided to create a brochure with the instructions to build the ribosome structure in LEGO and some information about this important molecule. We also did so with the hemoglobin structure and a homotetrameric transmembrane helix channel created by Kira Devantier (PhD Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Department of Biology).

ISBUC LEGO instructions

The ISBUC LEGO brochures (see example below) are an initiative to bring structural biology closer to the public with the possibility to build molecules out of LEGO. These brochures contain a short explanation of the biological roles of these structures and the instructions to assemble them. After playing a key role in Kulturnatten 2023, they are now available in this website as a free-access tool to learn more about structural biology and generate scientific enthusiasm among the public.

We invite you to try out the experience by building these molecules yourself: in the right side of this page, you can find the three triptych brochures with the instructions, available both in Danish and English. Have fun!!!

Ribosome explanation
Ribosome LEGO instructions

 

This is a gallery of the structures created by Junior ISBUC researchers in the edition 2023. So much talent!

LEGO ribosome
Ribosome by Conchita Fraguas Bringas, PhD fellow at NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research. 
LEGO transmembrane protein
Transmembrane protein by Omar Alhady, PhD Fellow at the Biotech Research and Innovation Center.
LEGO Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin by Kira Devantier, PhD Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Department of Biology
SARS-CoV-2 virus LEGO
SARS-CoV-2 virus particle with glycosylated (orange bricks) spike proteins (red bricks) as well as membrane and envelope proteins (yellow and green bricks). By Thea Klarsø Schulze (PhD Fellow), Aarien Symon Rauh (PhD Fellow) and Matteo Cagiada (Postdoc) from the Department of Biology.
RAS protein LEGO
RAS protein by Daniel Saar, PhD Fellow, Department of Biology
LEGO cell membrane
Cell membrane by Rebecca Möller (Postdoc), Pernille Yde Rainer (Postdoc), Ulf Tiemann (Assistant Professor) from theBiotech Research & Innovation Centre.
LEGO protein family
Viewing the domains of PPARγ as distinct personalities: one exhibits a strong enthusiasm for interacting with all neighboring entities, another focuses solely on monitoring the highly interacting ones, and the third consistently makes time for conversations with others. By Elisabeth Gjøe Kvist Thomsen, PhD Fellow, Department of Biology.
LEGO homotetrameric transmembrane helix
Homotetrameric transmembrane helix by Kira Devantier, PhD Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Department of Biology