Chemical Biology

Training in chemical biology at MIT enables graduate students to address problems that transcend the traditional boundaries of chemistry and biology. Chemical biologists interrogate molecular processes that occur in human, plant, and microbial cells, as well as in viruses and animals.

Two graduate students examine cells on a computer

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MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Engineering for 2026

Seven faculty members, along with 12 additional alumni, are honored for significant contributions to engineering research, practice, and education.

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Cancer’s Secret Safety Net

Researchers uncover a hidden mechanism that allows cancer to develop aggressive mutations.

MIT chemists showed they can use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to decipher the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins. The findings may aid efforts to develop drugs that interfere with Tau buildup in the brain.

Chemists determine the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins

Learning more about this structure could help scientists find ways to block Tau from forming tangles in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.

“What’s remarkable is that intelectin-2 (mltln2) operates in two complementary ways. It helps stabilize the mucus layer, and if that barrier is compromised, it can directly neutralize or restrain bacteria that begin to escape,” says Laura Kiessling. On left, mltln2 stabilizes the mucus layer on healthy tissue. On right, it neutralizes bacteria in an inflamed GI tract.

A protein found in the GI tract can neutralize many bacteria

The protein, known as intelectin-2, also helps to strengthen the mucus barrier lining the digestive tract.

Dilyara Sharipova smiles in front of the Taj Mahal.

Graduate Student Spotlight: Dilyara Sharipova

Chemistry Graduate Student Dilyara Sharipova describes her research and answers 20 random questions as part of the Graduate Student Spotlight series.

A new study from MIT reveals how a high-fat diet rewires liver cells and makes them more susceptible to becoming cancerous.

Study: High-fat diets make liver cells more likely to become cancerous

New research suggests liver cells exposed to too much fat revert to an immature state that is more susceptible to cancer-causing mutations.

Headshots (three on top, three on the bottom) of the six winners of the Mentorship Spotlight Award for Fall 2025.

Six Exemplary Mentors honored with Fall 2025 Mentorship Spotlight Awards

The winners were nominated by students, postdocs, faculty, and staff in recognition of their exceptional commitment to mentorship.

Graduate Student Spotlight: Seth Furniss

Chemistry Graduate Student Seth Furniss describes his research and answers 20 random questions as part of the Graduate Student Spotlight series.