Research in OSBP can be classified into four large areas: Chemical Biology & Enzymes, Molecular Basis of Disease, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biophysics & Structural Biology. All OSBP students take a unified core curriculum, and they choose their elective classes with their advisors for a highly tailored training program. For a list of faculty whose research interests align with yours, please view our faculty directory.
Chemical Biology & Enzymes
Researchers in this area are interested chemically manipulating biological systems, developing chemical probes and drugs, engineering proteins and peptides, and understanding the function of biological catalysts.
Chemical Biology
Research in this this area includes the development of small molecule and peptide-based agents, including metal complexes, directed at DNA, RNA and proteins, both as probes for biological function and as potential therapeutic agents. Other researchers are engineering peptides and proteins to understand biological function, including the use of modified, rare or unnatural amino acids. This area also includes chemical approaches to enzyme function and the development of imaging agents.
Enzymes
Research in this area includes investigation of the molecular mechanism and biological functions of protein and RNA enzymes that catalyze biological reactions, and thus are indispensable for life. Many of the enzyme systems under investigation are of biomedical relevance, either as novel drug targets or as important players in human disease. Other enzymes under study have the potential to impact the development of alternative energy sources, such as biofuels, through metabolic engineering. Researchers in this area use a wide variety of tools, including enzyme kinetics, structural analysis, genetic manipulation and chemical biology approaches, to reveal the secrets of how these macromolecular machines catalyze complex biological reactions with efficiency and specificity.
Molecular Basis of Disease
These researchers are interested in the biochemical basis of a wide range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular and neurological diseases, and viral diseases.
Cancer
Investigators studying cancer use biochemical, molecular and functional genomic approaches to uncover basic mechanisms that control cancer cell growth and metastasis. Major areas of research focus include regulation of the cell cycle, signal transduction in tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment, DNA repair mechanisms, and regulation of gene expression. Mouse genetic models of cancer and human patient samples are among the systems used for these studies.
Cardiovascular Disease
Research that focuses on cardiovascular diseases uses biochemical, molecular, and physiological approaches for comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular function. Investigators have interests in gene expression in vascular smooth muscle and after heart transplantation, redox regulation, lipoprotein receptors, and defining the molecular and cellular basis of heart failure. The diverse OSU campus that contains a large medical center affords collaborations with cardiologists to be able to translate basic science findings into clinical applications.
Neuromuscular and Neurological Diseases
Research in this area covers a number of diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease, hereditary neuropathies, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, and also investigates mechanisms of drug addiction and the role of inflammation in the brain during aging. Ongoing studies employ a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and molecular approaches to investigate ion channels and signaling pathways critical for neuronal function and to define the molecular pathogenesis and treatment strategies for neuromuscular and neurological disorders.
Other Diseases
Other diseases studied include aspects of cytoskeletal function, such as the role of actin binding proteins in cancer and spinal muscular atrophy, the regulation of actin in bone cells related to osteoporosis and osteopetrosis, and the mechanism of actin crosslinking toxins.
Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics
These researchers study the molecular basis of biological processes including replication, transcription, translation, gene regulation, and cellular function.
Molecular Biology
Research in this area includes studies of the molecular basis of fundamental biological processes including replication, transcription, translation of the genetic code, protein synthesis, gene expression, and cellular function. Researchers study different aspects of these processes ranging from molecular mechanisms in vitro to physiological responses in vivo, using a wide range of systems from microbes to humans. Particular areas of interest include RNA biology, cell growth and proliferation, molecular virology, regulation of gene expression and signal transduction.
Molecular Genetics
This area includes the study of eukaryotic model systems using classical genetics, molecular techniques, and in vivo and in vitro biochemical approaches to study basic questions in cell biology, developmental biology, gene expression, and various human diseases. The faculty members investigate and make discoveries in fundamental mechanisms of life processes such as the structures and biogenesis of the nucleus and other organelles, trafficking and localization of gene products for function, signaling, cell division, development, cellular metabolism, plant metabolites and human nutrition, cancer, and pathogen infection.
Molecular Biophysics & Structural Biology
Researchers in this area study the structure and physical properties of biomolecules, often using methods such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, laser spectroscopy, and single-molecule spectroscopy.
Molecular Biophysics
Researchers in this area study the physical properties of biomolecules, including their stability, dynamics and the physical changes they undergo throughout their functional cycles. Techniques used by this group include atomic force microscopy, calorimetry, laser spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics simulations, NMR, single-molecule spectroscopy, voltage clamp electrophysiology, and X-ray crystallography. Amyloid formation, ion channel function, histone dynamics, polymerase motion, and protein folding and conformational changes are some of the target areas of study.
Structural Biology
Researchers in this area use techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and mass spectrometry to visualize the three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules, preferably at atomic resolution. The structural information is used to design experiments to evaluate mechanistic models for how the target molecules carry out their functions. Particular areas of interest include protein-RNA complexes, DNA repair enzymes, and cell surface receptors.