[BBM Membership Roster] [BBM Meeting Rosters]

The Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes [BBM] Study Section reviews research applications concerned with all biochemical and biophysical aspects of membrane structure and function, and with their constituent protein and lipid components. Emphasis is on the molecular details of processes that occur on or within membranes.  Areas include use of biochemical and biophysical techniques to understand the structure and function of membranes and membrane-proteins. Specific areas covered by BBM:

• Membrane architecture: lipid-protein interactions, membrane protein folding, assembly, structure, and dynamics.
• Methods for membrane protein structure determination, including crystallization, solid state NMR and cryo-electron microscopy.
• Biophysics of membrane fusion mechanisms, of membrane interfaces, and signaling
• Enzyme mechanisms within membranes and interfaces: membrane-based energy transduction, membrane-bound enzymes, function of transporters, channels, receptors, glycoproteins, lipid metabolism and lipid function.
• Computational and modeling approaches to membranes and membrane proteins.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function C [MSFC]
Macromolecular Structure and Function D [MSFD]
Membrane Biology and Protein Processing [MBPP]
Enabling Bioanalytical and Biophysical Technologies [EBT] 
Biophysics of Neural Systems [BPNS]

[EBT Membership Roster] [EBT Meeting Rosters]

The Enabling Bioanalytical and Biophysical Technologies [EBT] Study Section reviews both hypothesis and non-hypothesis driven applications focused on the development of new bioanalytical and biophysical tools, emerging techniques, and instrumentation. Emphasis is on research that probes the molecular aspects of biological systems using novel technologies or existing techniques that have been enhanced by improving the resolution, sensitivity, throughput, and fundamental underpinnings of these techniques. Specific areas covered by EBT:

• Bioanalytical techniques such as sensors, separations, mass spectrometry, molecular spectroscopy, electrochemistry arrays, microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip, and novel assays.
• Biophysical techniques such as magnetic resonance, optical and electron microscopy 
• Synthesis of novel materials, labels and reagents and surface chemistries developed for use in bioanalytical or biophysical methods, including nanotechnology.
• The feasibility of recently introduced technologies to examine and explore biological systems (for example, proteomics, genomics, metabolomics, sequencing, screening, characterizing macromolecular interactions, or clinical applications) both in vivo and in vitro.
• Software development and (bio) informatics/chemometrics applied to bioanalytical instrumentation, instrumentation control, and interpretation of experimental data.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:


Instrumentation and Systems Development [ISD]
Microscopic Imaging Study Section [MI]
Biomaterials and Biointerfaces [BMBI]
Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes [BBM]
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry A [SBCA] 
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B [SBCB]

[MSFA Membership Roster] [MSFA Meeting Rosters]

The Macromolecular Structure and Function A [MSFA] Study Section reviews applications that focus on the biochemistry and biophysics of metal center containing proteins and complexes as well as the regulation of metal ion concentration in cells. A broad range of physical, chemical, genetic, kinetic, mechanistic, thermodynamic and theoretical approaches are included for studying the properties, reactivity, and interaction of a metal center with the host molecule as well as its assembly into the complex and the regulation of concentration of a metal in vivo.   Specific areas covered by MSFA:

• Metalloenzymes and their mechanisms: biochemical, spectroscopic, genetic, kinetic and structural methods applied to understand the mechanism of the metal center.
• Synthetic and theoretical models of metallo-active sites: small molecule complexes and designed peptides intended to mimic an enzyme active site reactivity or metal center specificity.
• Chemistry of metal centers and organic redox active cofactors: redox chemistry of oxygen/nitrogen species. Chemistry of reactive oxygen/nitrogen metabolism: methods of generation and mitigation as well as it undesired side reactions.
• Biogenesis of complex centers: mechanism of assembly of complex metal clusters as well as their incorporation into their host proteins. Biosynthesis of organic redox active cofactors.
• Metal ion homeostasis and metabolism: regulation of influx, efflux and transport of iron, copper, zinc and manganese as well as other metals ions whose concentration must be closely controlled or limited. Mechanisms of metal ion toxicity.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:


Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function D [MSFD]
Macromolecular Structure and Function E [MSFE]
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry A [SBCA]
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B [SBCB]

[MSFB Membership Roster] [MSFB Meeting Rosters]

The Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB] study section reviews applications that address basic structure-function relationships in a variety of systems, using biophysical and biochemical approaches, both experimental (e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy) and computational modeling (e.g., molecular dynamics simulations).  The emphasis is on elucidating structural and dynamical characteristics of individual proteins and nucleic acids, and their complexes, and how those properties affect function of the molecules.  Specific areas covered by MSFB:

• RNA structure and dynamics; RNA-protein interactions, RNA catalysis, folding and splicing and ribozyme-based therapeutics.
• DNA structures, including of those of chemically modified DNAs, structural aspects of DNA replication and repair processes, aspects of protein-DNA systems, such as the effects of protein folding on histone-DNA interactions.
• Properties of proteins: structural dynamics of proteins, folding and misfolding processes; engineering proteins to enhance function, computer-aided drug design, allostery and cooperativity in enzyme mechanism and control, chaperones, thermodynamic and electrostatic features of protein function.
• Signal transduction in select systems, such as circadian rhythm proteins, and chemokines and their receptors.
• Enzymology of protein glycosylation and the consequences thereof, structural aspects of ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of proteins in cells.

Study sections with most closely related areas of science listed in rank order are:

Macromolecular Structure and Function C [MSFC] 
Macromolecular Structure and Function D [MSFD]
Molecular Genetics A [MGA] 
Molecular Genetics B [MGB] 
Molecular Genetics C [MGC] 
Molecular and Integrative Signal Transduction [MIST]
Intercellular Interactions [ICI]

[MSFC Membership Roster] [MSFC Meeting Rosters]

The Macromolecular Structure and Function C [MSFC] Study Section reviews applications concerned with the structural biology of proteins and nucleic acids in macromolecular assemblies, involving a broad range of biochemical and biophysical approaches to elucidate molecular interactions. Emphasis is on the application of atomic- and molecular-level information to understand biological function. Specific areas covered by MSFC:

• Protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions, small molecule interactions with proteins and nucleic acids, and mechanisms of allostery.
• Protein interaction networks and signal transduction.
• Molecular motors, macromolecular machines, and systems driven by energy-dependent conformational changes including ATPases.
• Biophysical studies of muscle structure and function.
• Single molecule investigations.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function D [MSFD]
Macromolecular Structure and Function E [MSFE]
Virology A [VIRA]
Molecular Genetics A [MGA]

[MSFD Membership Roster] [MSFD Meeting Rosters]

The Molecular Structure and Function Study Section D [MSFD] reviews applications that propose the development of new techniques in computational molecular modeling and simulation; theoretical mathematical and physico-chemical analysis; and bioinformatics assessment of the structure, dynamics and function of biological macromolecules as isolated entities, in multi-component complexes or in association with ligand molecules.  Applications that draw heavily upon vigorous application of established computational techniques are also reviewed in MSFD. Many applications involve the close interplay of theory/modeling with predictive analysis of experimental data derived from methods such as x-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance or other spectroscopies with the preponderant effort placed on the computational/theoretical analysis.  Emphasis is on the study of non-membrane associated soluble proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrate systems.  Specific areas covered by MSFD:

• Molecular modeling and refinement of 3-D structures of macromolecules; de novo design of proteins; prediction and modeling of protein-ligand interactions and development of docking protocols; biophysical theory of macromolecular structure, function and dynamics; and prediction of macromolecular interactions at varying spatial resolutions and timescales.
• Computational methods of ligand screening in drug development and protein-protein docking.
• Development of methodologies for assessing sequence-structure-function relationships and formulating prediction of macromolecular function.
• Development of computational protocols for molecular visualization, annotation, and geometric and topological characterization of proteins and polynucleotide’s.
• Design and application of classical, quantum and QM/MM simulation methods to macromolecular systems, including validation via experimental comparison.

Study sections with the most closely related areas of similar science, listed in rank order are:

Macromolecular Structure and Function A [MSFA]
Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function C [MSFC]
Macromolecular Structure and Function E [MSFE] 
Modeling and Analysis of Biological Systems [MABS]
Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes [BBM]
Biodata Management and Analysis [BDMA]

[MSFE Membership Roster] [MSFE Meeting Rosters]

The Macromolecular Structure and Function E Study Section (MSFE) review applications that focus on the structure and structure-function relationships of enzymes and their complexes. Experimental approaches include the development and application of physical and chemical methods to study interactions between enzymes and their effectors and substrates. Applications evaluated in this study section cover a broad range of theoretical, computational and experimental methods that include but not limited to quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics, kinetic, mechanistic, and thermodynamic characterization of enzymes and their functions. The most commonly used experimental methods are NMR, X-Ray, laser spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The emphasis is on elucidating structure-function relationships of enzymes in their native biological systems.  Specific areas covered by MSFE:

• Mechanistic enzymology involving protein and nucleic acid catalysts.
• Protein-ligand interactions and dynamics.
• Inhibitors of enzymes and their mechanisms, drug chemistry and metabolizing enzymes, biochemical mechanism based drug development.
• Macromolecular studies of metabolic pathways and networks.
• Computational and theoretical studies of biochemical reactions, application of quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics to studies of enzyme mechanisms, genomic enzymology, sequence-structure analysis to uncover mechanistic strategies of superfamilies.

Study sections with most closely related areas of science listed in rank order are:

Macromolecular Structure and Function A [MSFA]
Macromolecular Structure and Function B [MSFB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function C [MSFC]
Macromolecular Structure and Function D [MSFD]
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry A [SBCA]
Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B [SBCB]
Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes [BBM]

[SBCA Membership Roster] [SBCA Meeting Rosters]

• Synthetic methodology and target oriented synthesis: Discovery and development of synthetic strategies, methodologies, reactions, reagents, and catalysts for use in chemical synthesis. This includes the synthesis of complex natural products and biologically-relevant, small molecule targets of defined structure.
• Chemical biology: Design and synthesis of bioactive small molecules to probe biological systems, including enzyme inhibitors.
• Nucleic acid chemistry: Studies directed toward understanding the chemical principles for the sequence specific recognition and modulation of DNA and RNA, including biomimetic approaches for regulation of gene expression.
• Carbohydrate chemistry: The synthesis of sugars and oligosaccharides for studying biological processes such as disease states, vaccines, and cell recognition phenomena.
• Supramolecular Chemistry: The study of molecular recognition and host-guest interactions, the synthesis of polymers and molecular assemblies for use in biological systems and medicine.
• Metals in chemistry and biology: Using synthetic chemistry and coordination chemistry to develop metallo reagents to decipher problems in biological systems.

Study sections with the most closely related areas of similar science in rank order are:

Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B [SBCB]
Macromolecular Structure and Function E [MSFE]
Neural Drug Discovery Special Emphasis Panel
Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Resistance [DDR]
Genes and Drug Delivery Systems [GDD]

[SBCB Membership Roster] [SBCB Meeting Rosters]

The Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B [SBCB] study section reviews applications in the areas of chemical synthesis and chemical biology research that may contribute to advances in biology and medicine, either at a fundamental or applied level. Areas reviewed by SBCB include synthetic methodology development, natural product synthesis and biosynthesis, peptide and protein chemistry, as well as the design and discovery of small molecules with potential biological or pharmaceutical activity. Specific areas covered by SBCB:

• Synthetic methodology and target-oriented synthesis: Discovery and development of synthetic strategies, methodologies, reactions, reagents, and catalysts for use in chemical synthesis. This includes the synthesis of complex natural products and biologically-relevant, small molecule targets of defined structure.
• Chemical biology: Design and synthesis of bioactive small molecules to probe biological systems, including enzyme inhibitors and other protein ligands.
• Peptide and protein chemistry: Chemical synthesis or engineering of natural and unnatural peptides/proteins. Designed systems in which chemical manipulation of protein structure is used to interrogate functional biological interactions. 
• Natural product biosynthesis and discovery: Elucidation and engineering of biosynthetic pathways by which natural products are constructed in host organisms, including the biosynthesis of unnatural small molecules via genetic manipulation. Isolation and characterization of bioactive chemical compounds from natural sources.

Study sections with most closely related area of similar science listed in rank order are:

Synthetic and Biological Chemistry A [SBCA]
Macromolecular Structure and Function E [MSFE]
Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology [DMP]
Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Resistance [DDR]
Neural Drug Discovery Special Emphasis Panel