Biophysics, literally the physics of life, enables scientists working at the intersection of physics, biology, chemistry, and applied mathematics and statistics, to collaborate with clinicians, mathematicians and engineers to develop a predictive understanding of biological processes, including cancer, development, infection and the immune system. Novel tools and techniques now permit biophysicists to see and measure what was once invisible. Physics has long played a prominent role in biology – Watson, Crick and Franklin, discoverers of the structure of DNA, considered themselves biophysicists – but that role has increased dramatically in recent years as the development of new methods has transformed our understanding of biological systems, their complexity and their molecular details.
The University of Notre Dame has a rich history of molecular biophysics research across disciplines. The recent establishment of the Stavropoulos Center for Complex Quantum Matter will strengthen these efforts across campus, attracting elite research talent at all levels of career development.
In a study published in Nature Communications, Saurja DasGupta, a biochemist at the University of Notre Dame, and colleagues present a key mechanism for sustaining RNA-based life: an engineered enzyme that selectively recognizes and repairs broken RNA.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators have discovered a key process for how the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria attaches to the cell wall, advancing the understanding of how these bacteria frequently manifest resistance to antibiotics.
Read More about Study reveals how bacteria assemble their envelope
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame have published the first known detailed study of breast cancer tissue from Native American women. The study, published in npj Precision Oncology, reveals important molecular differences that may impact the efficacy of therapies for female, Native American breast cancer patients.
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