Biochemistry
Biochemistry in CCE
- Assistant Professor of Biochemistry; Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar
Daniel Semlow
The Semlow lab is interested in understanding the origin and repair of DNA damage. They use biochemical and genetic approaches to uncover mechanisms that enable cells to tolerate and repair DNA damage. The lab is also developing analytical tools to explore the DNA adductome and identify sources of genome instability. Their work provides new insights into the processes that drive cancer, aging, and human genetic diseases. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ
- Altair Professor of Chemistry
Shu-ou Shan
The Shan lab integrates the approach of mechanistic enzymology with biophysical tools, including fluorescence spectroscopy, single molecule fluorescence microscopy, NMR, EPR, and cryo-EM, to decipher the molecular basis of diverse protein biogenesis pathways. ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ
- Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
Isaac Fianu
Using biochemistry, structural biology (especially cryo-EM), and related methods, the research in the Fianu lab aims to uncover how gene regulation works in health and disease. Ultimately, the goal is to understand the spatiotemporal control of gene expression and the coordination of genome-related processes—knowledge that may lead to new therapeutic strategies. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ
- Mary and Charles Ferkel Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
André Hoelz
The Hoelz lab carries out structure-function studies of the nuclear pore complex with the ultimate goal of elucidating the atomic structure of the NPC. The applied structure determination as well as the described design principles of the NPC may serve as paradigms for other macromolecular assemblies. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
- Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry
William M. (Bil) Clemons
Using approaches like X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, biochemistry, and mass spectrometry, the Clemons lab seeks to resolve protein structures and interactions at the atomic level, providing fundamental insights into membrane protein assembly and function with broad implications for biology and drug discovery. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ
- Professor of Chemistry and Biology
Judith Campbell
The Campbell lab investigates how cells accurately replicate and repair their DNA to maintain genome stability. Her team focuses on the molecular mechanisms that process Okazaki fragments and resolve DNA replication stress, especially the roles of enzymes like DNA2 helicase/nuclease. Their work reveals how defects in these pathways contribute to genome instability and cancer, offering insight into potential therapeutic targets. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ
- Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry; Merkin Institute Professor
Stephen Mayo
The focus of the Mayo lab is the coupling of theoretical, computational, and experimental techniques for the study of structural biology. In particular, they have placed a major emphasis on developing quantitative methods for protein design with the goal of developing a fully systematic design strategy called "protein design automation." ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar
Shasha Chong
Research in the Chong lab interfaces between chemistry, physics, and biology to tackle the molecular mechanisms of fundamental cellular processes. They are interested in intrinsically disordered regions, which compose nearly half of the eukaryotic proteome and perform critical functions in numerous cellular processes without forming stable protein structures. ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ
- Roscoe Gilkey Dickinson Professor of Chemistry; Executive Officer for Biochemistry
Doug Rees
The Rees group has merged with the Clemons group to study the structure and function of ATPases and membrane proteins using structural (electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography), biochemical and biophysical techniques. A current interest focuses on the family of Intradimeric Walker A ATPases that include the nitrogenase NifH protein, the Get3 ATPase in the Tail Anchor targeting pathway, and the ArsA ATPase mediating arsenite detoxification.
Biochemistry research in CCE integrates chemistry, biology, and physics to reveal the molecular principles underlying life. Researchers investigate enzyme catalysis, nucleic acid regulation, protein folding and interactions, membrane protein function, signaling networks, and energy transduction, employing tools such as structural biology (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, single-molecule methods), chemical biology, and biophysical assays.
At the graduate level, students interested in working with the CCE biochemistry faculty should consider applying to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (BMB) or the Chemical Biology & Molecular Biophysics (CB&MB) track of the Chemistry option. The Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics option is an interdisciplinary program co-administered by the Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Biology and Biological Engineering. Students study the structure, folding, and assembly of biopolymers, linking molecular behavior to cellular form and function, while gaining both broad foundational knowledge and deep expertise in their chosen research areas.
The Chemical Biology & Molecular Biophysics (CB&MB) track is specifically designed for students with strong backgrounds in chemistry who are eager to work at the interface with biosciences, applying chemical biology, structural biology, and biophysical/bioorganic chemistry to solve critical biological problems. In both graduate programs, the highly interdisciplinary and collaborative training environment prepares students to become innovative scientists and leaders across academia, industry, and the public sphere.
