Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Graduate Program
About CCB
The Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) graduate program provides a chemical foundation for understanding complex biological processes at an atomic level. This interdisciplinary study of molecules in living systems in the setting of a health science campus helps to integrate the traditional disciplines of chemistry and biology. It is further distinguished by providing training in the sciences related to chemical biology: integrating both with respect to the levels of structure (atomic, molecular, cellular). The training objectives for students of the program are met through course work, laboratory rotations, activities of the program such as journal clubs and research presentations and through thesis research in a specific laboratory.
Across the whole spectrum of biology, principles, pathways and processes are coming into focus at the molecular and often the atomic level. At this resolution, the concepts and tools of chemistry can be applied and exploited with great precision and acuity to develop novel chemical strategies, to understand fundamental biological processes, and to diagnose, combat and cure human disease.
UCSF, with its extraordinarily interactive research culture and unique mix of basic science and clinical research faculty is a perfect environment in which to carry out research at the interface of chemistry and biology. Located within a major medical campus, the CCB Program faculty are poised to apply chemical approaches to important problems in human health, ranging from AIDS and metastatic cancer to atherosclerosis and neurological degeneration.
The CCB program combines the strengths of the Medicinal Chemistry pathway with particular research foci and selected faculty from the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, the Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology Department, the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Graduate Program and the Biophysics Graduate Program. The CCB program provides an exciting environment for learning modern chemical principles and techniques to study significant problems at the interface of chemistry and biology. CCB is a member of the Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS) providing students with access to exceptional faculty and resources for biological research. CCB joined forces with the Biophysics Graduate Program in sponsoring a joint seminar series entitled ""Linking Physics & Chemistry to Biology" which meets once a week throughout the school year. The CCB program is jointly administered by the Depts. of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.