1. Biochemistry

Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry Careers | Degree & Job Information

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Education

Many biochemists discover their passion for science and begin their academic training in high school by taking advanced placement courses in biology, chemistry, calculus and physics. With an undergraduate bachelors degree, a biochemist can qualify for positions such as research assistant, inspector or technical sales representative. Therefore, a bachelors degree at minimum is required for entry-level positions.

Biochemists who go on to obtain a masters degree qualify for most positions in commercial industries, such as food inspection or product development, as well as for jobs in the private sector in marketing, sales or administration. To get accepted into a masters program, the selection committees are usually looking for students with a strong history of laboratory experience and excellent professor or supervisor recommendations.

A PhD in biochemistry or chemistry is necessary to lead or participate in serious research projects. At this level, candidates declare a sub-specialty and complete original research in order to meet the doctoral-level standards of the academy. Graduate students in a PhD program typically take five to seven years to complete their PhD. This happens under the close supervision of a senior mentor or principal investigator, along with the guidance of a committee of several other senior scientists.

Pursuing a PhD is a serious commitment that requires undivided attention in order to complete the significant workload, which includes both classes and research in the lab. Often, students also have to teach undergraduates at some point during their graduate career, which is both time-consuming and rewarding. PhD students are not allowed to hold any other job while in a PhD program. Thankfully, most programs offer financial aid for those pursuing PhDs, which helps to lessen the financial burden. This includes free tuition and a monthly stipend for living expenses. The amount varies depending on the institution.

The most important training in biochemistry focuses on laboratory skills, safety procedures and the proper use of equipment. Correct handling of samples and specimens is critical to ensure the validity of the results obtained during research. Lab training usually begins in college and carries on through the masters and PhD programs. Each institution has its own policy on how training should be conducted and what courses are required. As technology and equipment evolve, biochemists continue to train in proper techniques throughout their careers. Another aspect of their training involves reading comprehension, writing and critical thinking, which are important because a biochemist must be able to communicate research findings effectively both orally and in writing.

Colleges and universities offering biochemistry degrees may obtain curricular and degree approval from the American Chemical Society (ASC) and many employers consider this certification from the ACS a great advantage in prospective hires. There are no state or federal requirements for licensing to work as a pure biochemist, unless the job itself carries a certification requirement.

First and foremost, an aptitude for mathematics and an interest in the biological or chemical sciences are essential. Without a passion for these, maintaining a job as a biochemist is difficult. In addition, because research in biochemistry relies on computers and medical technologies, an extensive understanding of computer science and software is very helpful, but not necessary. Often these are skills that are attained during the job training. Advanced level researchers must know how to design plausible experiments, which may include designing and building the necessary technical tools and equipment. Attention to detail, the ability to work with a team and good communication skills are also important qualities for a biochemist.

Biochemistry careers offer many possibilities basic or applied research, hands-on lab work, teaching or administration in public or private sector industries. There are jobs available for all levels of academic training, and the demand for biochemists continues to grow. Many college graduates begin their careers as lab technicians or assistant researchers to master key skills and gain experience so they can pursue a post-graduate degree. It generally takes a doctorate to lead a research team or to direct a laboratory for private or governmental agencies.

Most biochemists employed by academic institutions are instructors or researchers. In this setting, advancement follows the administrative or management pathways of the institution. If successful, there is opportunity to become a self-employed consultant. Advancement in the private sector largely depends upon successful publication in journals as well as becoming established as an expert in a sub-specialty.

If you would like to gain the necessary education to become a biochemist, we highly recommend that you check out our free School Finder Tool located HERE.

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Biochemistry Careers | Degree & Job Information

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Selects … – Newswise (press release)

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Newswise The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology announced this week the election and appointment of seven new society leaders. They begin their terms July 1.

President-elect

Gerald Hart, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who studies nutrient regulation of signaling and transcription.

Council

Takita Sumter, Winthrop University, who studies high-mobility group A proteins in cancer signaling.

JoAnn Trejo, University of California, San Diego, who studies G proteincoupled-receptor signal transduction.

Publications committee

Brian Crane, Cornell University, who studies molecular mechanisms of signal transduction.

Ruth Welti, Kansas State University, who studieslipid metabolism and plant response to environmental stress.

Nominating committee

Anthony Kossiakoff, University of Chicago, who studiesligand-induced receptor activation, antibody engineering and drug delivery.

Iqbal Hamza, University of Maryland, who studies heme trafficking in iron homeostasis.

Note to reporters and PIOs: Print-quality images are available upon request. Email Angela Hopp at ahopp@asbmb.org.

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About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The ASBMB is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with more than 12,000 members worldwide. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, at nonprofit research institutions and in industry. The Societys student members attend undergraduate or graduate institutions. For more information about ASBMB, visit http://www.asbmb.org.

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American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Selects ... - Newswise (press release)

New Details Revealed on How Plants Maintain a Healthy Sperm-Egg Ratio – UMass News and Media Relations

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AMHERST, Mass. Current molecular biochemistry, microscopy and genetic techniques have become so powerful that scientists can now make mechanistic discoveries supported by multiple lines of evidence about intimate processes in plant reproduction that once were very difficult to examine, says molecular biologist Alice Cheung at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

She is the senior author of a new paper in Nature describing how she and her team used such tools to solve, in unprecedented detail, the mechanisms of how flowering plants avoid polyspermy. As the name suggests, polyspermy results from multiple sperm entering and fertilizing an egg, a condition harmful to the zygote. In plants, preventing polyspermy also means higher chances for more females to be fertilized and ensures better seed yields, both of which are agriculturally important, Cheung points out.

For years, she and her long-time collaborator Hen-Ming Wu have led a team that includes a former postdoctoral associate, Qiaohong Duan, a current postdoc Ming-Che (James) Liu, and several graduate students in investigating FERONIAs dual roles in reproduction. For the current paper Duan and Liu are co-first authors.

Cheung says, It is very exciting to be able to explain how in multiple steps a plant creates an environment in its ovule, where the egg cell is located, that is first receptive to an incoming pollen tube to deliver sperm, but once fertilization is ensured it will instantly switch to block more pollen tubes from approaching to guard against polyspermy. These two acts are controlled by a gene called FERONIA, she adds, which encodes the FERONIA receptor kinase that senses signals on the cell surface and instructs the cell to respond appropriately.

Cheung says one of the key discoveries in their latest work is FERONIAs role in the cell wall and, in particular, its ability to interact with pectin, a sugar polymer in the wall. As conditions vary, one form of this polymer, called de-esterified pectin, can maintain a malleable wall, for example, so the first pollen tube arriving at the egg chamber inside the ovule can penetrate. But this pectin can also abruptly harden after the first pollen tube has penetrated, blocking more from entering.

This special pectin also triggers other activity, they discovered. Cheung and colleagues say they observed for the first time that de-esterified pectin serves as a signal to trigger an environment enriched in nitric oxide (NO) at the entrance to the egg chamber. In a series of bioassays, molecular interaction and biochemical analyses, they show that this gaseous signaling molecule modifies and de-activates a chemoattractant produced by the female to guide pollen tubes to their target. This quick change insures that late-arriving pollen tubes cannot approach an already fertilized ovule.

Cheung explains, As a gas, NO can diffuse very quickly, maybe even instantly as it is produced. The title of our paper, FERONIA controls pectin- and nitric oxide-mediated male-female interaction captures how our latest work connects these two FERONIA- controlled conditions. What led us to our findings is that without FERONIA, the cell wall is deficient in de-esterified pectin, but with FERONIA present, the wall works both as a source of signal molecules to trigger NO and also a physical barrier.

The molecular biologist says that because of its almost global importance to plant survival that her group and others have demonstrated, there are now likely dozens of labs around the world from plant stress physiologists to molecular structural biologists pursuing different aspects of FERONIA and its related proteins. Cheung says some of these proteins function together in very intriguing ways, so there is immense potential for advances in plant biology and fundamental signal transduction mechanisms from this very active field.

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New Details Revealed on How Plants Maintain a Healthy Sperm-Egg Ratio - UMass News and Media Relations


  1. Biochemistry