McGill University - Biochemistry

Official McGill Biochemistry Department Page for all current and prospective biochemistry students,

Biochemistry is the application of chemistry to the study of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. It emerged as a distinct discipline around the beginning of the 20th century when scientists combined chemistry, physiology and biology to investigate the chemistry of living systems. Biochemistry is both a life science and a chemical science - it explores the chemistry of living

organisms and the molecular basis for the changes occurring in living cells. It uses the methods of chemistry, physics, molecular biology and immunology to study the structure and behaviour of the complex molecules found in biological material and the ways these molecules interact to form cells, tissues and whole organisms. Biochemistry graduates are interested, for example, in mechanisms of brain function, cellular multiplication and differentiation, communication within and between cells and organs, and the chemical bases of inheritance and disease. The biochemistry student seeks to determine how specific molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, vitamins and hormones function in such processes. Particular emphasis is placed on regulation of chemical reactions in living cells. Biochemistry has become the foundation for understanding all biological processes. It has provided explanations for the causes of many diseases in humans, animals and plants. It can frequently suggest ways by which such diseases may be treated or cured. Because biochemistry seeks to unravel the complex chemical reactions that occur in a wide variety of life forms, it provides the basis for practical advances in medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture and biotechnology. It underlies and includes such exciting new fields as molecular genetics and bioengineering. The knowledge and methods developed by biochemistry scientists are applied to in all fields of medicine, in agriculture and in many chemical and health related industries. Biochemistry is also unique in providing teaching and research in both protein structure/function and genetic engineering, the two basic components of the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology. As the broadest of the basic sciences, biochemistry includes many subspecialties such as neurochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, clinical biochemistry, physical biochemistry, molecular genetics, biochemical pharmacology and immunochemistry. Recent advances in these areas have created links among technology, chemical engineering and biochemistry.

The surprising Swiss-Army-knife-like functions of a powerful enzyme

10/06/2022

https://www.mcgill.ca/medhealthsci-gradstudies/channels/news/surprising-swiss-army-knife-functions-powerful-enzyme-342532

The surprising Swiss-Army-knife-like functions of a powerful enzyme Blue-green algae (AKA cyanobacteria) have a superpower which likely helps them be highly successful as invaders of waterways. They have an extraordinary ability to store energy and nitrogen in their cells for times of need. But how exactly they do so remains only partly understood. Now researchers f...

09/20/2022

https://www.mcgill.ca/facmed-alumni/article/spacious-legacy

A spacious legacy “A pioneer in bringing biochemistry to the neurosciences, Professor Emeritus Peter Braun, who retired in 2011 after 38 years of service in the Department of Biochemistry, was a dedicated mentor and an inspiration to his colleagues. With gratitude and appreciation from former student, Hui Hong, BSc...

08/10/2021

Congratulations Suleima Jacob-Tomas, Biochemistry

2021 Vanier Scholars

2021 Vanier Scholars Meet some of the 2021 recipients of Canada’s most prestigious graduate awards, exemplifying academic excellence across the full range of disciplines. Anish Arora, Family Medicine Co-Developing & Piloting a New Model of Care Delivery for Migrant People Living with HIV in Montréal. Anish Arora is a...

07/22/2021

https://publications.mcgill.ca/medenews/2021/07/20/scientists-break-record-while-battling-antibiotic-resistance/

Scientists break record while battling antibiotic resistance : Health e-News Drug-resistant diseases could cause up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Scientists used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to better understand how current antibiotics work and how we might curb bacterial resistance to th...

Diversifying the next generations of researchers and clinicians

03/09/2021

https://www.mcgill.ca/facmed-alumni/article/diversifying-next-generations-scientists-and-doctors?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wn_Mar4_unknown&utm_source=whatsnewstaff&utm_term=McGill-gets-top-marks-in-globa

Diversifying the next generations of researchers and clinicians When Dr. Alba Guarné landed her first faculty position, she was surprised to discover that she was the only female research professor in the department. As a scientist-in-training, Guarné had been exposed to many colleagues who were women, so this was a stark contrast to what she had been used to....

02/09/2021

: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=470254447320564

02/08/2021

https://giving.mcgill.ca/all-stories/made-biochemistry

Made by biochemistry Martin Schmeing, BSc’98 Associate Professor, McGill Department of Biochemistry Director of McGill's Centre de recherche en biologie structurale

02/08/2021

https://publications.mcgill.ca/medenews/2021/02/04/faculty-teaching-innovation-award-recipients-announced/

11/13/2020

https://publications.mcgill.ca/medenews/2020/11/11/inrs-awards-an-honorary-doctorate-to-dr-sonenberg/

INRS awards an honorary doctorate to Dr. Sonenberg : Health e-News Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has announced that the Goodman Cancer Research Centre’s Nahum Sonenberg will be awarded an honorary doctorate during the virtual graduation ceremony on November 28th. This ceremony highlights and celebrates the success of INRS’s 134 graduates...

11/04/2020

08/20/2020

https://mcgill.ca/channels/article/part-something-big?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wn_Aug09_unknown&utm_source=whatsnewstaff&utm_term=CFI-invests-%249.3M-in-McGill-re

Part of something big Three graduate students who helped make the new made-at-McGill COVID-19 test kits from scratch learned a lot about science – and about themselves