The primary missions of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology are to teach both medical and graduate students and to increase knowledge through biomedical research. The underlying aims of these missions are to provide an outstanding and up-to-date education and to make substantial contributions to the understanding of health and disease with high-quality, modern research. A major goal of the Department is to be nationally recognized for the quality and impact of our biochemical research.
The research orientation of the nine investigators within the Department is on protein structure/function relationships in important biomedical systems including protein-RNA interactions. The emphasis on the study of proteins (i) allows a common research bond and language among faculty, (ii) complements ongoing research in other CMS departments, (iii) coincides with the cutting edge of modern biomedical research, and (iv) provides teaching capability across a spectrum of biochemical topics. Each protein biochemist interacts with other research programs at CMS as appropriate for the biological system s/he is studying. As part of a university wide initiative to create areas of excellence, new faculty continue to be recruited into the department in the area of the structural biology of membrane proteins.