The A. J. Drexel Institute of Basic and Applied Protein Science (IBAPS) was established in early 2003 to promote research and education programs in protein science at Drexel University. Progress in modern molecular biology and biochemistry and more recently, genomics and proteomics, is leading to the identification of all proteins, the gene products that constitute essential macromolecular building blocks and regulatory driving forces for virtually all biological processes. This explosion of knowledge has opened the way to revealing the basic principles of protein structure and function, including the potential to determine the recognition and catalytic mechanisms by which proteins drive biology. While the underlying structural and mechanistic beauty of proteins continue to be revealed, discoveries of the functional diversity of proteins also have a practical outcome. Proteins have built into their structures a wide range of binding specificities and catalytic activities. Current research offers the opportunity not only to learn about the structural basis of these activities but also to identify ways to utilize them to develop new technologies, such as, biosensors, nanomachines, and tools for drug discovery. We are entering a period in which both the beauty of protein mechanisms and the practical outcomes of their functions are being revealed simultaneously. The diverse and yet closely cooperating strengths of the Colleges and Schools of Drexel University offer a unique opportunity to bring together science, medicine and engineering to help advance basic and technological investigation of proteins, as well as to provide educational opportunities in these areas. It is this opportunity that is advanced by the Protein Institute at Drexel.

Contact the Administrative Assistant for the Group, at 215-762-4815.