Centers

The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology is home to three research centers that represent areas of excellence within the department.

• Faculty members associated with the Center for Membrane Biology utilize multidisciplinary approaches including biophysical and spectroscopic methods to elucidate the molecular structure and function of membrane proteins in normal and diseased conditions.
• In the Structural Biology Imaging Center, faculty members use their investigative tools to determine the structures of cellular machinery at the molecular and atomic level of resolution. Their experimental approaches include X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electron cryomicroscopy. These methods determine the three-dimensional structures of biological molecules and their assemblies, providing key structural information that guides research efforts to elucidate functional mechanisms. The Cryo-EM Core Facility is operated within the SBIC.
• The Pulmonary Center of Excellence includes faculty members focused on understanding the molecular basis of pulmonary diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, and ventilator-induced lung injury.