Welcome to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Our Mission is to conduct world-class research in biochemistry and molecular medicine. To excel in undergraduate, graduate and medical education, and to serve the university through leadership in forums committed to graduate and professional school admissions and curriculum.
The research interests of the departmental faculty are focused in the fundamental molecular aspects of cell biology, gene expression, cancer biology, membrane biology, glycobiology, neurobiology, muscle physiology, human genetics, chemical and structural biology, molecular imaging and drug development. In addition to innovative research activities, faculty are involved in the teaching and training of medical and doctoral students.
At the Davis Campus, the department maintains laboratories at Tupper Hall, the Genome Building and in the Department of Chemistry. At the Sacramento Campus, the department maintains laboratories at the Oak Park Research Building, Research I and III Buildings, and the MIND Institute.
The department’s primary research funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and a wide variety of Private agencies.
The department’s teaching focus includes Lower Division courses, Graduate courses, and Professional courses for medical students.
Each of us has an obligation to the community and the UC Davis Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine strives to build and maintain a culture and climate based on mutual respect and caring. We recognize and cherish the richness contributed to our lives by our diversity. We further recognize the right of every individual to think, speak, express and debate any idea. We support and uphold the UC Davis Principles of Community.
Department News
Anti-anxiety and hallucination-like effects of psychedelics mediated by distinct neural circuits
New research suggests that it could be possible to separate treatment from hallucinations when developing new drugs based on psychedelics. The anti-anxiety and hallucination-inducing qualities of psychedelic drugs work through different neural circuits, according to research using a mouse model. The work is published in Science.
“In the past, we did this using chemistry by making new compounds, but here we focused on identifying the circuits responsible for the effects, and it does seem that they are distinct,” said study co-author David E. Olson, director of the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics (IPN) and a professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the University of California, Davis. “This is an important mechanistic study that validates our earlier results.”
2024 Joan Oettinger Memorial Award Recipient
Professor Yuanpei Li has been selected as 2024 Joan Oettinger Memorial Award recipient. In recognition of this achievement, Li will be acknowledged at the UC Davis School of Medicine Spring General Faculty Meeting on May 22, 2024.
The Joan Oettinger Memorial Award for outstanding lung or cancer research is given annually. This notable award is named in honor of Ms. Oettinger, a UC Davis graduate student who died of lung cancer in 1970.
Congratulations on this well-deserved award!
School of Medicine celebrates implementation of modernized curriculum
Professor Colleen Sweeney, is among the five UC Davis School of Medicine faculty members that were honored this week for their key roles in the implementation of a revamped curriculum that modernizes medical education.
The curriculum, known as I-EXPLORE, has transformed what students learn and how they learn during their four-years of medical school. It was developed by faculty, residents, staff and students – with input from hundreds of others – quickly and during trying circumstances, including the coronavirus pandemic.
Luis Carvajal-Carmona appointed as the Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Academic Diversity (DEI/OAD)
Professor Luis Carvajal-Carmona, has been appointed as the Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Academic Diversity (DEI/OAD). Congratulations!
