Welcome to the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Chair
Vice Chair
As one of the first departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the nation, we are proud of our strong tradition of combining cutting-edge technology with impactful biology. We continue to leverage this interdisciplinary approach to yield break-through discoveries in biomedicine.
Our faculty of over 30 primary and secondary members cover a broad range of research areas, with particular strengths in structural biology, chemical biology, gene regulation and protein folding.
We are also the proud home of the Eldridge Reeves Johnson Research Foundation which offers advanced physical instrumentation and instruction to researchers across campus.
We are actively growing, with several recent hires, and our faculty are broadly engaged across campus with many joint appointments in other departments, institutes and centers.
We welcome you to learn more about our department in the following pages or contact us.
Spotlight
Rahul Kohli, MD/PhD
Rahul Kohli is a physician-scientist with appointments in both the Department of Medicine and the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. The Kohli lab is focused on the study of enzymes that modify and mutate DNA, given the central role that genome dynamics play in epigenetics and in host-pathogen interactions. These processes are open to interrogation by enzymology and chemical biology approaches. The lab also aims to harness the biotechnological or therapeutic potential of DNA altering enzymes and pathways, with applications that include new sequencing methodologies, targeted genome editing, and combating the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Kohli is passionate about supporting pathways that meld fundamental science and medicine, and in this spirit, also serves as an Associate Program Director for Penn’s MD/PhD program.
News & Publications
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Van Duyne/Gupta Lab in PLoS Pathog
Friday, March 3, 2023
New paper from the Van Duyne/Gupta Lab, "Structure of a HIV-1 IN-Allosteric inhibitor complex at 2.93 Å resolution: Routes to inhibitor optimization"
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Bowman Lab Featured in Penn Medicine News
Monday, March 13, 2023
Recent work from the Bowman Lab has been featured by Penn Medicine News in their press release, "Penn Medicine Research Suggests More Cancers Can Be Treated with Drugs Than Previously Believed"
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Lynch Lab in Cell Rep
Friday, March 17, 2023
New paper from the Lynch Lab, "Alternative splicing of HDAC7 regulates its interaction with 14-3-3 proteins to alter histone marks and target gene expression"
Seminars & Events
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Raiziss Rounds Seminars
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Our Spring 2023 Raiziss Rounds Seminar Series will begin on January 12th and will continue on Thursdays at 12:00 noon until May 25th. The full seminar schedule can be found on our Raiziss Rounds page.
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Friday Research Discussions
Friday, February 3, 2023
Friday, May 26, 2023
4:00pm
Friday Research Discussions occur every Friday at 4:00pm in the JF Library. View the full schedule for the semester here.