bacteria (singular: bacterium): One-celled organisms, too small to see with the naked eye, that reproduce by cell division and usually have cell walls; can be shaped like spheres, rods or spirals and can be found in virtually any environment.

basic science/basic research: The pursuit of knowledge about the most fundamental processes of life, such as how cells work.

biochemistry: The chemical processes associated with living things.
Biochemists probe the structures and functions of biologically important molecules, such as hormones.

biology: The scientific study of living organisms.

biotechnology: The industrial use of biological techniques developed through basic research. Biotechnology products include antibiotics, insulin, interferon, recombinant DNA, and techniques such as waste recycling. Much older forms of biotechnology include breadmaking, cheesemaking and brewing wine and beer.

c. elegans: A small worm that is used as a model organism to study genetics and development. Researchers are using the lint-size nematode in studies ranging from aging and how we learn to understanding paralysis.

cell: The basic subunit of any living organism; the simplest unit that can exist as an independent living system.

cell biology: The study of the cell and its components and processes (growth, functions, behaviors, reproduction, etc.).

cell cycle: An ordered series of growth-related events that recurs in each cell from one cell division to the next.

cellular and molecular pharmacology: The study of chemical and biological phenomena as they relate to the understanding and discovery of drugs.

chemical biology: The study of the interactions of biologically important molecules, which leads to general principles that can be applied to the investigation of specific disease processes.

chemistry: The scientific study of the composition, structure, properties and interactions of chemicals.

chromosomes: Individual bundles of DNA within the nucleus of cells that contain the genetic information of the cell and organism.

clinical research: Studies involving humans, and usually in the hospital or clinic settings, aimed at understanding the diagnosis or treatment of diseases and disorders.

clones/cloning: A group of genetically identical cells that come from the same ancestor/the process of reproducing such identical cells.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): Long molecules within the nucleus of cells in which all genetic information is coded and which carry this information from generation to generation.

developmental biology: The study of how a multicellular organism develops from its early immature forms (zygote, larva, embryo, etc.) into an adult.

drosophila (fly): A genus of small flies that are extensively used as test animals to study genetics, cell biology and developmental biology. The most well-known species used is Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly.

enzyme: Proteins that speed up -- or catalyze -- the rate of chemical reactions that are essential for cells to function and survive.

genes: Specific segments of DNA that control cell structure and function; the functional units of inheritance.

gene cloning: Isolating a gene and producing many identical copies of it so that it can be studied in detail.

genetics: The scientific field of study that explores the genetic composition, heredity and variation of organisms.

genome: The total genetic information of a particular organism.
The normal human genome consists of three billion base pairs of DNA in each set of 23 chromosomes from one parent.

genomics: The study of the structure and function of genetic material in chromosomes, including the study of how genes are activated to begin protein production.

graduate student: Those working toward higher degrees. At UCSF most are seeking doctoral (PhD) degrees. UCSF has some 1,000 graduate students in 20 degree programs, in the biological, biomedical, pharmaceutical and social and behavioral sciences.

hard science: A field of scientific study that involves precise measurements of observations and well-defined methods for obtaining and interpreting new knowledge. Chemistry and physics are definitely hard sciences; biology, geology, and astronomy also are usually thought of as hard sciences. Psychology, sociology and anthropology are not.

hormones: Chemical substances that are produced in the endocrine glands and travel in the blood to target organs where they elicit a response.

immunology: A subfield of biology that deals with the study of molecules that initiate antibody production and the immune process and how humans and higher animals fight off disease.

metabolism: The release and utilization of energy stored in biological chemicals, such as found in food, as they are converted into other chemicals through chemical reactions; needed to carry out the biochemical tasks that sustain cells and the whole organism.

microbiology: The study of organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria, viruses and yeasts.

molecular biology: The study of the biochemical and molecular processes within cells, especially the processes of replication, transcription and translation.

molecular drug design: See structure-based drug design.

molecular genetics: The study of the flow and regulation of genetic information between DNA, RNA and protein molecules.

molecules: Units of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

mutation: A spontaneous or induced change in the DNA sequence of a cell.

neurology: A branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the nervous system and the brain.

neurons: Highly specialized cells that generate and transmit bioelectric impulses from one part of the body to another; the functional unit of the nervous system.

neuroscience: The study of all aspects of the nervous system. Neuroscientists investigate the molecular and cellular levels of the nervous system; the systems within the brain, such as vision and hearing; and behavior produced by the brain.

organism: Any individual living creature.

pharmaceutical chemistry: The study of molecules used in medicine and their interactions with biological targets.

pharmacogenomics: The synthesis, development and study of the effects of individual genetic variations on drug response, aimed at the prescription or development of drugs that maximize benefit and minimize side effects in individuals.

prions: Short for "proteinacious infectious particles." Agents composed only of one or more protein molecules without any accompanying genetic information. Implicated in such neurodegenerative conditions as "mad cow disease" and Creutzfeld-Jacob disease.

postdoctoral fellow: Scientists in training who already have earned a PhD and have been awarded a fellowship or traineeship to support a program of study and research. Most are planning a career and work in a laboratory where a senior faculty member or principal investigator supervises the scholar's work. At UCSF, there are some 1,100 postdoctoral fellows.

proteins: Large molecules, made of specific sequences of amino acids, that carry out many molecular activities of cells and organisms.

proteomics: the systematic analysis of proteins in healthy and diseased tissue, including the amounts and types that are present in different cell types at different times, their biological functions and their interactions with other proteins and biologically important molecules.

proto-oncogene: A gene that can trigger cancer when genetically altered to become an oncogene, but that otherwise is important for the day-to-day activities of cells.

receptor: Protein on or protruding from the cell surface to which select chemicals can attach.

recombinant DNA: Laboratory-manipulated DNA that connects segments of DNA from the same or different species in novel order.

scientific method: Making observations and collecting data about natural events and conditions, then organizing and explaining them with hypotheses, theories, models, laws and principles.

structure-based drug design: The design of pharmaceuticals based on knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of molecules that either contribute to disease or that perform important functions within the body. Drugs are designed with structures that interact with and block the harmful actions of disease-causing molecules, or are designed with structures that can achieve the same desired biological effects of the body's own molecules.

structural biology: The study of the three-dimensional structures of biological molecules (such as proteins) and their mutual interactions as a means of understanding the functions of these molecules within the cell.

staff research associate: Salaried employees, many with laboratory skills and expertise, who work directly with faculty and principal investigators.

technology transfer: The process by which the commercial sector converts scientific findings from research laboratories into useful products.

telomere: The region at each end of a chromosome; important for protecting DNA-encoded genetic information through successive generations of cells.

theory: A hypothesis that has withstood extensive testing by a variety of methods.

vaccine: A preparation containing dead or weakened pathogens or pathogen proteins synthesized in the laboratory; when injected into the body it elicits an immune response.

virus: Infectious microscopic particle composed of a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) inside a protein coat; relies on the host cell it invades to carry out biochemical steps that are essential for particle replication.

yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae - baker's yeast, brewer's yeast, budding yeast): A species of yeast which is an important model organism for biological study, particularly for genetics and molecular biology. The entire genome of this species has been base sequenced and is used to do research on the basic cellular mechanics of replication, recombination, cell division and metabolism.

Last updated January 28, 2005

Actin in a HeLa cell