Dozens of test tubes in a holder

Working Groups in the CBT

Links

CBT includes seven research sections to work with PIs, post doctoral fellows, and students to address complex research goals. CBT provides the expertise and state-of-the-art resources needed to develop recombinant protein expression vectors as well as express (bioreactors/fermenters), purify (HPLC/FPLC), crystallize, and characterize (X-ray and NMR) proteins, protein complexes, nucleic acid complexes, as well as complexes involving small molecule inhibitors (i.e. drugs) and biological therapeutics. The center also has dedicated space for high-throughput screening and target validation at the biochemical and cellular levels (robots, plate readers, tissue culture suites). The center can also produce constructs/targeted ES cells for generating new mouse models for in vivo testing.

The detailed resources for the specific sections are outlined on their individual pages:

  • Computer-Aided Drug Design (Section Leader: Alex MacKerell Jr., PhD): providing computational approaches to speed drug discovery and design.
  • Genomics & Bioinformatics (Section Leader: Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D.): CBT works directly with The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) to generate high quality genomic data genome annotation and analysis, IT infrastructure, web, and database services.
  • In Vivo Biology & Drug Testing (Section Leader: Danna Zimmer, Ph.D.): screening and pre-clinical evaluation of chemical probes and lead compounds from drug discovery efforts as well as diagnostics.
  • Medicinal Chemistry (Section Leader: Vincent Njar, Ph.D.): discovering and developing new drugs for improving human health.
  • Protein Production & Biophysics (Section Leader: David Weber, Ph.D.): producing purified proteins for investigators, including for advanced uses in other CBT sections (i.e. Structural Biology (SB) for NMR and crystallization and Target Validation & Screening (TVS) for use in in vitro assays),
  • Structural Biology (Section Leader: Kristen Varney, Ph.D.): determining three-dimensional structures of protein and other macromolecules to understand the structural basis for biological function and dynamics.
  • Target Validation & Screening (Section Leader: Paul Wilder, Ph.D.): identifying therapeutic targets and screens for chemical perturbagens as a step towards developing new drugs and therapies.