Scripps Research Forms New Department of Chemical Physiology

In an initiative fitting with its hallmark interdisciplinary approach to scientific discovery, The Scripps Research Institute has created a new academic department, the Department of Chemical Physiology.

"Scripps Research is widely known for its interdisciplinary approach to biomedical research and for its application of cutting-edge chemical technologies to the study of human diseases," says Gerald Joyce, dean of the faculty. "The new Department of Chemical Physiology, which we regard as a sister department to the Department of Molecular Therapeutics at Scripps Florida, will take on the challenge of understanding human physiology at the level of the whole organism, but from a chemical perspective."

Benjamin Cravatt, who will chair the new department, says, "The Chemical Physiology Department aims to bring together researchers dedicated to developing and utilizing cutting-edge chemical technologies to address biological problems of exceptional complexity and medical relevance. We are committed to creating innovative analytical and pharmacological tools that work at multiple levels of inquiry, so we can move seamlessly from molecules to cellular pathways to living systems."

The Department of Chemical Physiology's founding members are drawn from a number of other departments based on the Scripps Research California campus. The laboratory groups joining the new department are led by:

• Professor Benjamin Cravatt
• Professor James Paulson
• Professor Hugh Rosen
• Professor John Yates
• Associate Professor Anastasia Kralli
• Assistant Professor Kerri Mowen
• Assistant Professor Enrique Saez

"The success of genome sequencing projects has propelled 21st century biologists and chemists into an era where focus has shifted from the discovery of new genes to the functional characterization of gene products," adds Cravatt. "Tremendous opportunity awaits post-genomic researchers interested in advancing new methods to characterize gene and protein function on a global scale."

The new department will help position these investigators to take full advantage of this opportunity.

For more information, see the Chemical Physiology web page at http://www.scripps.edu/chemphys/.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

"Tremendous opportunity awaits post-genomic researchers interested in advancing new methods to characterize gene and protein function on a global scale."

—Benjamin Cravatt