Cellular Biology
Cells are the minimal self-sustaining units of life. The discipline of cell biology involves study of the structure and function of cells, but straddles molecular and organismal approaches. To understand living systems, one must illuminate the principles that underlie the structure, function, and propagation of individual cells. For example, how do cells grow and divide, how do new cells assemble their components, and how do assembled cells renew their components throughout the life of an organism? Other questions include the issues of how cells communicate through signaling mechanisms and how these signals influence the function and behavior of cells. How do cells institute developmental programs to form new organisms? Studies of human diseases typically involve, at least in part, a characterization of how biological processes have gone awry at the cellular level. Modern approaches to cell biology involve a range of structural, molecular, and physiological techniques. The specific focus of research projects in cell biology can be individual macromolecules, macromolecular complexes, or even entire biological pathways. The environment at Caltech offers a rich opportunity for research into the current pressing questions of modern cell biology.
Sample Courses
- Bi 9. Cell Biology
- Bi 10. Cell Biology Laboratory
- Bi/BE/BMB 115. Viruses and Applications to Biological Systems
- Bi/BE 129. The Biology and Treatment of Cancer
- Bi 189. The Cell Cycle
- Bi 250 a. Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Bi/BMB 251 abc. Current Research in Cellular and Molecular Biology
Application for the Biology PhD Option and any of the tracks is through the Caltech Graduate Studies Office.