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Advisory Committee

Vallee Foundation

The Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences and Medicine brings together a diverse group of HMS faculty from several departments who work on a variety of interrelated projects that have both clinical and basic science relevance. In past years these projects all focused on the elucidation of the role of zinc in biology and encompassed techniques of trace metal analysis, bioinorganic chemistry, enzymology, and zinc deficiency in microorganisms. Today, this interest in zinc continues: (1) in studies of metallothionein: its role in the control of zinc homeostasis, its function in oxidative stress and its relation to Alzheimer’s disease; (2) in structure-function studies of matrix metalloenzymes; and (3) in analysis of zinc binding sites in proteins.

Another prominent area of on-going interest is the cellular and molecular biology of angiogenin, a potent inducer of blood vessel formation. Protein antagonists of angiogenin are able to inhibit tumor growth in athymic mice and this has stimulated the search for low molecular weight inhibitors by high throughput screening and computer assisted design.

Genetic variability in human alcohol metabolism, another long-standing interest of the Center, initially served as a means to incorporate Chinese herbal medicine into studies of alcohol addiction. The neuropharmacology of natural and synthetic products that suppress alcohol consumption in laboratory animals is now a major subject of investigation.

The molecular regulation of cellular differentiation is yet another specific area of interest. At the present time this is directed to the identification of those molecules that play a critical role during early development of the frog. The research facilities of the Center are in the HMS satellite located at One Kendall Square, Cambridge. In addition, the Center maintains active collaborations with scientists around the world.

Pathology Department | CBBSM | Harvard Medical Web

Last updated: February 01, 2002