Cellular and Molecular Biology

Enormous advances in fields of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology over the past two decades are fueling the current explosion in deciphering the fundamental molecular events in biology. While departmental faculty and students in this research area utilize similar technical approaches the questions they are trying to answer vary greatly. Specifically, faculty and students conduct research in photosynthesis, microbial and eukaryotic genetics, viral pathogenesis, chromatin remodeling, lipid metabolism, food microbiology, signal transduction, protein interaction networks, membrane protein function, plant molecular genetics and plant genomics. The faculty interest in these research topics is held from the perspective of both normal and abnormal organismal homeostasis and development.Faculty collaborate extensively within the Department of Biology as well as throughout the broad research landscape at Drexel University and the Philadelphia region.

As with any academic research unit, experiments designed and performed by graduate students are central to our mission. We currently accept approximately ten new Ph.D. students each year. During their first year of study, students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology. Subsequent courses include those in statistical analysis, research methods, ethics, and numerous elective topics. From early on, an emphasis is placed on familiarizing students with reading and critiquing the current primary scientific literature. This familiarity and skill is central for the students to become productive researchers who can make their own contributions to the literature and the field.

Shivanthi Anandan
Associate Professor

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating
Photosynthesis & Environmental
Adaptation

Membrane Proteins: Multidrug Resistance
Transporters & Influenza-Virus Cell Fusion

Chromatin Control in Development

Aleister Saunders
Associate Professor
Interim Associate Dept. Head

Cellular & Molecular Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Cellular & Molecular Biology of Cancer

Cell Polarity and Cell Division: Regulation of Cytoskeleton-dependent Motility