Department of Biochemistry

The Department of Biochemistry is a leading research division at Emory University School of Medicine. Our diverse studies exploring many key areas of biochemistry, molecular and structural biology, applied toward a better understanding of diverse, fundamental biological processes with potential or established links to human health and disease. These include but are not limited to the study of gene expression and control of protein synthesis, cell signaling, cell metabolism, molecular pathogenesis, and protein/nucleic acid modifications and interactions.

Eric Ortlund, Professor and Vice Chair of Biochemistry, has been named an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Dr. Ortlund is one of fourteen members of the Emory faculty named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as Class of 2025 Fellows.

AAAS selects Fellows for their outstanding efforts in the advancement of science based on research, teaching, administration and technology, as well as communicating and interpreting science to the public. Becoming an AAAS Fellow is considered a lifetime honor. In addition to advancing research, Fellows play a crucial role in shaping public policy and influencing national and global perspectives on critical issues.

Emory News Story

Shashank Shekhar, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physics, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry at Emory University, published a paper in Nature Physics titled, “Cooperative hydrodynamics accompany multicellular-like colonial organization in the unicellular ciliate Stentor”. Their work uncovers novel insights into how physical forces shape the evolution of multicellularity and was featured in New York Times.

Dr. Shekhar was also named “Cell Scientist to Watch” by the Journal of Cell Science. The journal conducted an in-depth interview with Dr. Shekhar, highlighting his academic journey and his lab’s latest research.

Read Interview at Journal of Cell Science

Mahmut Demirturk, MD, Research Scholar in the Avci Lab, is the recipient of the 2025 Early Career Investigator Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation for his grant, "Immume Modulation by Macrophage Galactose C-Type Lectin Alleviate Murine Model of Colitis".

Congratulations, Mahmut!

Congratulations to the Bou-Nader Lab for:

Grants:

"Molecular basis of R-loop mediated HIV integration," from Gilead Research Scholars.

Publications: 

"Purification and Analysis of eIF2α Phosphorylation by Stress-Activated Protein Kinase Gcn2 from S. cerevisiae," in Methods in Molecular Biology.

"Structures of complete HIV-1 TAR RNA portray a dynamic platform poised for protein binding and structural remodeling," in Nature Communications.

Dr. Eric Sundberg, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry, and Dr. Diego Sastre, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, published a paper, "Potent efficacy of an IgG-specific endoglycosidase against IgG-mediated pathologies, " in Cell, October 2024.