Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Program Overview
Biochemistry and Cell Biology MS Program Description
The graduate program leading to the MS degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology is intended to provide a sound scientific foundation for those planning to pursue a career in research, teaching, entry into a career in biotechnology, or further graduate studies in the life sciences. In addition, for students interested in attending medical, dental, veterinary or other health-related schools, the MS degree program can complement and enhance their background in the biochemical sciences including biochemical, biomedical, and molecular biology research. Core concepts and skills are taught through a series of required core courses, with the remaining coursework consisting of advanced electives and special topics courses selected in consultation with the student's advisory committee. The curriculum is comprised of 24 credit hours earned in biochemistry, cellular biology and molecular genetics courses that are complemented by hands on laboratory research and exposure to advanced methods in biochemistry and cell biology. The remaining credits may be selected from elective courses, special seminar courses, and courses in experimental design, data analysis and laboratory techniques. Both research-based and literature-based thesis options are available and can be completed by fulltime students in three semesters. The program includes faculty from the Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Physiology and Biophysics, and the Pharmacological Sciences.
For more detailed information, visit the BCB MS Web site at: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/biochem/education/graduate/biochemistry-and-cell-biology-ms
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Chairperson
Wali Karzai, Life Sciences Building 332 (631) 632-1543BCB MS Graduate Program Director
Neta Dean, Life Sciences Building 310, (631) 632-9309Program Administrator
Pamela Wolfskill, Life Sciences Building 450, (631) 632-8585Degree awarded
Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry and Cell BiologyWebsite
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/biochem/education/graduate/biochemistry-and-cell-biology-msApplication
The Graduate School ( www.grad.sunysb.edu) requires on-line application submission (https://grad.stonybrook.edu/admissions/index.php) including letters of recommendation. At the Graduate School website you will find an Admissions link to the on-line Application form. - Admissions
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program Admissions
Application Deadline: April 15
Applications are considered from September until April 15 every year for admission in the Fall.
Applicants do not need to send their official transcripts until they are offered admission into the program.
In addition to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, the following are suggested requirements:
- BS or BA degree in a life science related field, with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. Pre-requisites include mathematics through one year of calculus, chemistry (including organic chemistry and laboratory), general physics, and one year of biology (including laboratory). It is highly recommended that students will have taken two semesters of biochemistry, and one semester each of genetics, cell biology, physical chemistry, and English composition. Students accepted into the program without a pre-requisite may be asked to take the appropriate upper level undergraduate course prior to undertaking specific graduate level courses.
- Personal Statement: What would you consider your special qualifications to be? What do you propose to do with your advanced degree professionally? Discuss briefly your experience in biochemistry and cell biology outside the classroom.
- Three letters of recommendation from people who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate work and independent research.
- International Students: A proficiency in the English language is required. If your native or primary language is not English, you must take an English proficiency test. To be considered for admission, an applicant must present an acceptable score on the TOEFL or IELTS test. IELTS: Overall score of 6.5 with no subsection below 6. TOEFL: Paper-based test: 550; computer based test: 213; or Internet-based test: 90. Under special circumstances, lower scores may be considered.
- Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements for Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Research-based thesis option (30 credits)
The research-based thesis option requires 30 credits comprised of 24 credits in core courses, at least 2 credits of MS Thesis in Biochemistry and Cell Biology in addition to the Research Practicum course included in the core curriculum, and 6 elective credits. Thesis research can be conducted in the laboratory of Biochemistry and Cell Biology faculty, in the research laboratories of faculty from other Departments at Stony Brook, and at Brookhaven National Laboratory, or through research internships under the guidance of approved mentors at local biotechnology firms. This option requires completion of a written, research-based project.Literature-based thesis option (30 credits)
The literature-based thesis option requires 30 credits comprised of 24 credits in core courses, including 4 credits of MS Research practicum, 2 credits of MS Thesis in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and 6 elective credits. This option requires completion of a written, literature-based project.Core Course Requirements (24 credits)
- MCB 503 Molecular Genetics (Fall, 3 credits)
- MCB 520 Graduate Biochemistry I (Fall, 3 credits)
- MCB 656 Cell Biology (Spring, 4 credits)
- BCB 551 Introduction to Research in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Integrity in Science (Fall, 2 credits)
- BCB 552 Advanced Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Cell
Biology (Fall, 3 credits) - BCB 559 MS Research Practicum in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer, 0-4 credits)
- BCB 599 MS Thesis in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer, 3 – 6 credits)
- MCB 601 Colloquium in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Fall, 1 credit)
- MCB 602 Colloquium in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Spring, 1 credit)
- Facilities
FACILITIES
The Biological Sciences Division and Health Sciences Center are well equipped for work in biochemistry and cellular biology. Individual faculty laboratories and central services provide a full array of state-of-the-art equipment. These include facilities that perform flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, DNA synthesis and analyses, transgenic mice, microscopy and imaging. The Health Sciences Library contains a comprehensive collection of biomedical journals and books and is complemented by the Melville Library on the main campus.
- Faculty
FACULTY
Department of Anesthesiology
Role of fatty acid binding proteins in pain, inflammation, and related pathophysiologies: Endocannabinoid pharmacology and development of novel therapeutics.
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Genetic control of development and gene expression in animals
Saikat Chowdhury
Structural biology of macromolecule machines; cytoskeletal dynamics and regulation; Cryo Electron Microscopy Nuclear targeting and intercellular communication in plants
Glycosylation; fungal pathogenesis
Gene expression and development in Drosophila
Structure and mechanism of protein-unfolding machines in mitochondria
Genetic regulation of early mammalian development
Meiotic synapsis, recombination, and segregation in yeast
Structure and function of RNA-binding proteins and biochemical studies of the SmpB•tmRNA quality control system
Membrane protein structure/translocation/folding
Chromosome biology and genome regulation
Stem cell maintenance and differentiation, Developmental mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis
Evolutionary, cell and developmental biological approaches to studying nematode uterine-vulval attachment and morphogenesis
Vesicle trafficking and membrane/cytoskeletal interactions
Extracellular degradation by neutrophil proteases
Structure and function of membrane proteins
Chromatin structure and function; gene expression; HATs
Growth factors /signal transduction in early vertebrate development
Department of Chemistry
Nitric oxide regulation of quorum sensing and biofilm formation in bacteria
Isaac Carrico
The research in our group centers around the concept of chemical biology. In paticular, we introduce unnatural monomers into the biopolymers of life (proteins, oligosaccharides, oligonucleotides) for the purpose of tracking or perturbing biological processes.
Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, 3D live fluorescence imaging and quantitative analysis of 3D image data sets
Development of tools for efficient and simulation of chemical systems and using them to study the structure and dynamics of molecules involved in biological processes.
Spectroscopic insights into enzyme mechanisms and structure
Department of Medicine
Biochemistry; function of the complement system
Bioactive lipids in cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics
Kinase signaling and cell proliferation
Cungui Mao
Bioactive sphingolipids in cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and autophagy
Bioactive lipids in Inflammation, Aging and Cancer
Vascular functions of Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta-protein
Biology and pathobiology of intestinal epithelial stem cells and colorectal cancer.
Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
Pathogenesis of spirochetal infections and their host responses
Positive and Negative Regulation of T cell Receptor Signaling
Cell cycle, cyclins, and yeast genetics
Viral/cellular oncogenes; differentiation of erythroid cells
Adenovirus regulation of cellular proliferation and gene expression; adenovirus vectors for human gene therapy
Signal transduction, morphogenesis and genetics of pathogenic fungi
My lab's research interests lie in understanding the molecular determinants of virus-host interactions during chronic gammaherpesvirus infections using a mouse model pathogen.
Cell cycle control and DNA replication in fission yeast
Viral Pathogenesis, Regulation of Innate Immunity, Hantavirus, Dengue Virus and Rotavirus Regulation of Cell Signaling Responses, miRNAs and Endothelial cell functions.
Cytokine and Innate Immune Responses
Mucosal Immunology, T cell memory, Vaccine design, Host-pathogen interactions
Secretion of virulence factors by bacterial pathogens; pilus biogenesis by uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Infectious Diseases Immunology; Host Interactions with Bacterial Pathogens; Bacterial Immune Subversion
RNA virus genetics, replication, pathogenicity, cellular receptors
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
Molecular control of the neuronal phenotype
Molecular basis of mechanical senses
Cell-surface molecules of the developing nervous system
Molecular physiology of sympathetic neurons and cardiac muscle
Genetic and molecular analysis of early vertebrate development
Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
Epithelial stem cell biology; Skin bioengineering and gene therapy.
Department of Pathology
Skin and hair follicle development, maintenance and malignancy
Leukocyte Fc receptors; macrophage differentiation
Host inflammatory response to bacterial infections.
Post-transcriptional control of non-coding RNAs and RNA binding proteins in cancer
Leukocyte chemotaxis/inflammation
Stem cell reprogramming and therapy, genome engineering, blood and marrow transplantation
Tumor suppressor genes; mechanism of p53 inactivation
Cancer biomarkers as diagnostic adjuncts in cervical pathology and cytopathology; cervical cancer and HPV
Molecular biology of Cryptococcus neoformans
Department of Pharmacological Sciences
Stem cell biology in the central nervous system and neurobiology in health and disease
Mitochondrial DNA; DNA repair
Extracellular matrix in the brain; roles during development and during neurodegeneration.
Lipid signaling pathways in immune responses, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Genetic Toxicology/Mechanisms of mitochondrial gene expression
Heterotrimetric G-proteins in development and cancer
Cytoskeletal membrane interactions in muscle cells
We are applying biochemical, microbiological and biophysical methods to fundamental questions in bacterial membrane biogenesis as they relate to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, and to bacterial pathogenesis in general: How is lipid biosynthesis accomplished at the cytosol-membrane interface? What are the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial membrane assembly? How can we subvert lipid biosynthesis and membrane assembly pathways for antimicrobial therapy?
Mechanism of Protein kinases and Ubiquitin Ligases in Cancer and Aging
Chemical Biology of DNA damage and repair.
Wnt Signaling in Development and Disease
Neuronal-microglial interactions in the central nervous system
Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Single molecule spectroscopy; Coordination of post-synaptic glutamate receptor signaling by the MAGUK family of scaffolds
Tyrosine phosphorylation and signal transduction
Cell signaling through heterotrimeric G proteins
Neuronal differentiation and microfilaments
Our research group focuses on Wnt signaling in 1) regulation of cell signaling and 2) differentiation of embryonic stem cells.
Molecular biology and physiology of gap junction channels
Department of Anesthesiology
Martin Kaczocha Role of fatty acid binding proteins in pain, inflammation, and related pathophysiologies: Endocannabinoid pharmacology and development of novel therapeutics.
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Paul M. Bingham Genetic control of development and gene expression in animals
Vitaly Citovsky Nuclear targeting and intercellular communication in plants
Neta Dean Glycosylation; fungal pathogenesis
- Peter Gergen Gene expression and development in Drosophila
Steven Glynn Structure and mechanism of protein-unfolding machines in mitochondria
Bernadette C. Holdener Genetic regulation of early mammalian development
Nancy Hollingsworth Meiotic synapsis, recombination, and segregation in yeast
Chi- Kuo Hu , Biology of dormancy during development and aging, with the African killifish as the main research organism.
Wali Karzai Structure and function of RNA-binding proteins and biochemical studies of the SmpB•tmRNA quality control system
Erwin London Membrane protein structure/translocation/folding
Ed Luk Chromosome biology and genome regulation
Benjamin Martin Stem cell maintenance and differentiation, Developmental mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis
David Q. Matus Evolutionary, cell and developmental biological approaches to studying nematode uterine-vulval attachment and morphogenesis
Aaron Neiman Vesicle trafficking and membrane/cytoskeletal interactions
Dada Pisconti , Muscle stem cells; muscle development, regeneration and aging; muscular dystrophy; extracellular matrix; biology of proteoglycans
Sanford Simon Extracellular degradation by neutrophil proteases
Steven Smith Structure and function of membrane proteins
Gerald H. Thomsen Growth factors /signal transduction in early vertebrate development
Department of Chemistry
Elizabeth Boon Nitric oxide regulation of quorum sensing and biofilm formation in bacteria
Isaac Carrico
David Green
Affiliated Assistant Professor. Computational biology of protein interactions.
Carlos Simmerling Development of tools for efficient and simulation of chemical systems and using them to study the structure and dynamics of molecules involved in biological processes.
Peter Tonge Spectroscopic insights into enzyme mechanisms and structure
Scott Laughlin
Associate Professor. Chemical neuroscience. Design and application of optical probes for imaging neural circuitry.Department of Medicine
Yusuf Hannun Bioactive lipids in cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics
Richard Lin Kinase signaling and cell proliferation
Cungui Mao Bioactive sphingolipids in cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and autophagy
William Van Nostrand Vascular functions of Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta-protein
Vincent Yang Biology and pathobiology of intestinal epithelial stem cells and colorectal cancer.
Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
Nicolas Carpino Positive and Negative Regulation of T cell Receptor Signaling
Bruce Futcher Cell cycle, cyclins, and yeast genetics
Patrick Hearing Adenovirus regulation of cellular proliferation and gene expression; adenovirus vectors for human gene therapy
James Konopka Signal transduction, morphogenesis and genetics of pathogenic fungi
Erich R. Mackow Viral Pathogenesis, Regulation of Innate Immunity, Hantavirus, Dengue Virus and Rotavirus Regulation of Cell Signaling Responses, miRNAs and Endothelial cell functions.
Nancy Reich Cytokine and Innate Immune Responses
Brian Sheridan Mucosal Immunology, T cell memory, Vaccine design, Host-pathogen interactions
David Thanassi Secretion of virulence factors by bacterial pathogens; pilus biogenesis by uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Adrianus. W.M. van der Velden Infectious Diseases Immunology; Host Interactions with Bacterial Pathogens; Bacterial Immune Subversion
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
Maurice Kernan Molecular basis of mechanical senses
Howard Sirotkin Genetic and molecular analysis of early vertebrate development
Lonnie Wollmuth Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
Department of Pathology
Jiang Chen Skin and hair follicle development, maintenance and malignancy
Adam Rosebrock, PhD, Assistant Professor, Regulation of central carbon metabolism underlying cell growth and division.
Jingfang Ju Post-transcriptional control of non-coding RNAs and RNA binding proteins in cancer
Richard R. Kew Leukocyte chemotaxis/inflammation
Yupo Ma Stem cell reprogramming and therapy, genome engineering, blood and marrow transplantation
Kenneth Shroyer Cancer biomarkers as diagnostic adjuncts in cervical pathology and cytopathology; cervical cancer and HPV
Department of Pharmacological Sciences
Adan Aguirre Stem cell biology in the central nervous system and neurobiology in health and disease
(Aging, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Chemical Biology, Lipid Biology, Mitochondrial Biology, Neuropharmacology, Signaling, Stem Cells)
Molecular mechanisms of spindle orientation, ciologenesis, polarity, cytokinesis and axonogenesis.
Holly Colognato Extracellular matrix in the brain; roles during development and during neurodegeneration.
Michael A. Frohman Lipid signaling pathways in immune responses, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Miguel Garcia-Diaz Genetic Toxicology/Mechanisms of mitochondrial gene expression
Mechanisms of virus-host and tumor-host interactions
Jessica C. Seeliger We are applying biochemical, microbiological and biophysical methods to fundamental questions in bacterial membrane biogenesis
as they relate to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, and to bacterial pathogenesis in general: How is lipid biosynthesis accomplished at the cytosol-membrane interface? What are the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial membrane assembly? How can we subvert lipid biosynthesis and membrane assembly pathways for antimicrobial therapy?
Markus Seeliger Mechanism of Protein kinases and Ubiquitin Ligases in Cancer and Aging
Ken-Ichi Takemaru Wnt Signaling in Development and Disease
Structure and function of macromolecules in epigenetic regulation
Styliani-Anna Tsirka Neuronal-microglial interactions in the central nervous system
Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Mark Bowen Single molecule spectroscopy; Coordination of post-synaptic glutamate receptor signaling by the MAGUK family of scaffolds
- Todd Miller Tyrosine phosphorylation and signal transduction
Thomas White Molecular biology and physiology of gap junction channels
- Contact
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB) MS Program
Chairperson
Wali Karzai, Life Sciences Building 332 (631) 632-1543BCB MS Graduate Program Director
Neta Dean, Life Sciences Building 310, (631) 632-9309Program Administrator
Pamela Wolfskill, Life Sciences Building 450, (631) 632-8585Degree awarded
Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry and Cell BiologyWebsite
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/biochem/education/graduate/biochemistry-and-cell-biology-msApplication
The Graduate School ( www.grad.sunysb.edu) requires on-line application submission (https://grad.stonybrook.edu/admissions/index.php) including letters of recommendation. At the Graduate School website you will find an Admissions link to the on-line Application form.