CHIMIA, Vol. 65, Issue 11/2011: NCCR Chemical Biology

Scientific Content

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The National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) «Chemical Biology – Visualisation and Control of Biological Processes Using Chemistry» uses chemistry tools to obtain a better understanding of life at the molecular level. Until now, a few technologies could characterise in detail the countless biochemical activities that constitute a living cell. In the NCCR Chemical Biology, chemists, biochemists, physicists and cell biologists develop innovative techniques based on small molecules and proteins to obtain new information about cellular processes and control them in situ. The new tools will be applicable to various biological phenomena like visualising the activity of selected proteins during cell division and investigating how membranes control the activity of proteins in them. The NCCR is also engaged in establishing a platform for chemical screening aimed at developing a new generation of molecules with biological effects. http://www.nccr-chembio.ch

Cover photo: This fluorescence micrograph simultaneously visualizes the structure of microtubules (in green) and protein–protein interactions of microtubule-associated proteins (red dots) in cells. The nucleus of the cell is shown in blue. Photo provided by Kai Johnsson, EPFL.