Molecular & Cell Biology

The Department of Molecular & Cell Biology was established in July 1998 to decipher the genetic, molecular, and biochemical causes of oral health disorders and their possible relationships with other systemic dysfunctions. The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research’s recent strategic plan for biomedical research emphasizes the importance of interfacing basic science research with oral medicine.

The Department of Molecular & Cell Biology is an integral part of Boston University Medical Center, which is located in the historic South End of Boston. Students and post-doctoral fellows of the department have easy access not only to the vibrant scientific community of Boston University Medical Center, including many lectures and seminars in the different departments of the Medical Center, but also to the outstanding scientific community in the Boston-Cambridge area. Greater Boston is one of the preeminent metropolitan centers in the United States, and offers many scientific, cultural, and recreational opportunities.

The department’s faculty members have significant national and international reputations for their studies of:

  • The biogenesis of nonpathogenic and pathogenic yeast cell wall
  • The role of glycoconjugates during development
  • The molecular basis for inflammation-promoted tumorigenesis
  • The role of proteases in pancreatitis
  • The exocrine biology of the oral cavity
  • The structure-function relationships of salivary proteins
  • Oral host defense systems including both acquired and innate immunity
  • The physiology of bone
  • The mechanisms of extracellular matrix accumulation in mineralized and non-mineralized tissues
  • The function of neutrophils and macrophages in adult and juvenile forms of periodontitis
  • The role of cytokines in periodontal diseases and wound healing

The department is housed in Boston University’s Evans Building, near many basic and clinical departments of Boston University Medical Center. It has all the research equipment and facilities for conducting state-of-the-art research using a combination of molecular and cell biology as well as biochemistry and genetics.

For additional information on the department, please contact:

Alicia Ruff
Operations Manager

Telephone: 617-358-4485
Fax: 617-414-1041
Email: aruff@bu.edu

 

Molecular & Cell Biology fax number: 617-358-3896