Biological and Medicinal

PhD student in Aga Lab.

Chemistry governs all life processes at the molecular level. Biological chemists study the chemistry of living cells, tissues, organs and organisms while medicinal chemists apply this research to the process of synthesizing new pharmaceuticals. 

Biological and Medicinal Research at UB

UB’s strengths in the traditional disciplines of chemistry merge naturally in investigating several topics of biological importance: molecular recognition, enzyme mechanisms and catalysis, metabolomics and biomolecular separations.

The department also specializes in medicinal chemistry, with efforts focused on drug design and drug discovery, and medical applications including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), biosensors, biomedical materials and photodynamic therapy. Faculty are actively engaged in collaborations with various centers of expertise locally, including the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, as well as nationally and internationally.

Affiliated Faculty

Illustration depicting biological and medicinal chemistry.