F A C UL T Y   &   R E S E A R C H

c e l l ..b i o l o g y

Cell Biology is a broad discipline that seeks to describe how components within cells are organized and function to allow cells to proliferate and carry out specialized roles in organisms. Knowledge of how cell structure is regulated is critical to understanding a variety of biological processes such as cell division and development and is important to the design of pharmaceutical agents.

Cell biologists in our Department take advantage of the tools provided by many different areas of biology including microscopy, molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology to examine processes at the level of single molecules to individual cells within tissues. This multi-technique approach to research problems affords students the opportunity to interact with a variety of research groups and develop a wide repertoire of scientific skills.

Specific areas of focus within the Department presently include membrane protein structure and function, cell signaling, regulation and organization of multi-protein complexes within cells and the development of pharmacological agents.