Chemical biology

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In the chemical biology is a boundary region between chemistry and biology , in which by means of the synthetic used substances produced to study biological systems and to manipulate. The goal can be basic research by changing the general behavior e.g. B. is examined by cells in response to certain stimuli. Chemical biology is also particularly interesting in relation to the search for new active ingredients and thus potential drugs.

introduction

Chemical biology is a strongly interdisciplinary field that tries to overcome older reductionist approaches to living things. The aim is to describe an overall system based on the function of its individual parts ( holism ). It combines scientific methods and approaches from medicinal chemistry , supramolecular chemistry , bio-organic chemistry , pharmacology , biochemistry and genetics .

Some sub-areas of chemical biology try to clarify biological questions directly by studying living systems. In contrast to classical biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology , mutations are generally not generated in living beings, but rather low-molecular compounds are used. This can be done both in vitro and in vivo . Since start molecules (hits) for the development of active ingredients can be obtained ( lead structure generation ), chemical biology is particularly linked to medicinal chemistry.

Classic research areas in chemical biology include:

literature

  • Rajiv Dutta: Fundamentals of Biochemical Engineering . Springer International, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-540-77900-1 .
  • Herbert Waldmann, Petra Janning: Chemical Biology - A Practical Course . Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2004, ISBN 9783527307784
  • Herbert Waldmann: Concepts and case studies in chemical biology. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2014, ISBN 9783527675982