Molecular Building Blocks

Through its new Programme, EMBL research will delve into cellular function and subcellular components to systematically determine how responses to a changing environment are mediated at the molecular level.

EMBL’s investigation of molecular building blocks of life will expand to incorporate an understanding of the impact of systematic and controlled environmental changes on molecules, their modifications, and the macromolecular complexes they form, as well as on subcellular structure. 

This Research Theme has three key aims:

• Understand and predict function from the genome to understand biological complexity. Coding regions in the genome give rise to proteins and molecular machines that drive a vast number of different cellular processes, while non-coding regions are central to transcriptional regulation during development or in changing environmental conditions.
• Develop new transformative technologies and methods to manipulate molecules and macromolecules that will lead to a clearer understanding of complex interactions between the environment and biological functions.
• Understand subcellular function in context, specifically aiming to investigate molecules and the subcellular components while they are carrying out their functions in a cellular or in vivo context.

“Building on EMBL’s extensive expertise in structural, cell, and genome biology, we can approach molecular building blocks in new ways, to better understand the intricate molecular machines that make cells work, ultimately shaping everything from our development to diseases. EMBL has the technologies, expertise, and scientific culture to approach these questions in original, exciting ways to fundamentally re-shape the way we think about how life works.” 

Eileen Furlong

Head of Genome Biology Unit

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