Editorials

Chemical biology approaches have enhanced metabolism research through the detection of key metabolites and altering enzymatic reactions. This themed issue features a collection of articles that explore emerging research areas in the continual interplay between chemical biology and metabolism.

To celebrate the start of our 21st volume, we are featuring a collection of pieces that discuss the progress in chemical biology over the past 20 years. These pieces highlight some of the landmark findings that have shaped the field and outline future directions.

Computational methods for calculating a protein structure from a given amino acid sequence have revolutionized both our understanding of structural biology and the prediction of protein-binding compounds. This issue features several pieces that explore machine learning approaches for protein structure prediction, benchmarking and evaluation of model quality, and how machine learning algorithms can be used in the drug discovery process.

Phase separation is an important mechanism for biomolecule condensate assembly and is involved in multiple biological activities. Understanding its molecular mechanism provides a unique perspective for gaining insights into its role in cellular physiology and for developing new tools for the manipulation of cellular function.

Chemical methods that integrate analytical and quantitative measurements of metabolites with the ability to alter metabolic processes offer powerful tools for modulating biology and physiology.

Advances in cryo-electron microscopy combined with improved computational tools for structural modeling have provided new insights into the basis of G-protein-coupled receptor–effector interactions.

Chemical biologists are uniquely positioned to uncover and precisely manipulate the molecular basis of interactions between microbiomes and their hosts.

The development of chemical tools and small-molecule inhibitors enables the resolution of critical cellular processes with high spatial and temporal precision.

This themed issue features a collection of articles that explore long-standing questions in the study of lipids and membranes.

Targeted protein degradation provides a powerful complement to small-molecule inhibition in modulating protein activity and allows access to otherwise intractable drug targets.

Over the past decade and a half, chemical biology has crystallized as a discipline and extended its reach into new scientific areas, but the field’s greatest promise lies ahead.

Structural studies of GPCRs defining conformational states en route to activation and clarifying the mechanisms of activation, ligand bias, and signaling will be critical for discovering new drugs that target a range of diseases.

Elucidating the mechanisms by which biomolecules are chemically modified and how these alterations regulate biological pathways represents a leading frontier in chemical biology.

Biosynthetic pathways harbor diverse enzyme functions, and identifying those that catalyze unusual or synthetically challenging transformations offers new routes for biocatalytic development.

The growing intersection between chemical tools and principles and developmental biology is providing new insights into the molecular-level details of developmental processes.

The innovation and optimization of optogenetic tools are providing new insights into biological and cellular processes with unparalleled spatiotemporal resolution.

Abundant frontiers at the interface of chemistry and biology promise another decade of technological innovation and scientific discovery by chemical biologists.

Improved tools and expanding knowledge are enabling new insights into the biochemical basis, ecological roles and promising applications of natural product biosynthesis.

Chemical probes are proven tools for biological research and early-stage drug development, but how can chemical biologists make them more useful to the broader scientific community?

Chemical biology may elude simple definitions, but there remains no question that chemical biologists have crafted a compelling interdisciplinary narrative that advances science and benefits society.