Biochemistry & molecular biology#
Members of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Section study mechanisms of cellular and organismal function at the chemical and molecular levels. In respect to either concepts or methodologies, the field of biochemistry and molecular biology strongly overlaps with genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, biophysics, and bioinformatics. This research also greatly contributes to progress in medicine, helping to understand molecular bases of diseases and to design new therapies. Advances in biochemistry and molecular biology are greatly helped by development of new technologies such as, for example, sequencing of genetic material in single cells, gene editing, or Cryo Electron Microscopy, which allows structure determination of complex molecular machines. Among topics studied by members of the section are: structure and function of macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids), genome stability and repair, cell differentiation, cell cycle, signal transduction, cellular organelles, microbiology and virology, immunology, plant biology, computational biology, and many others. Some members also use molecular approaches to more applied questions.
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology section currently has 389 members, including 17 Nobel Prize winners.
