Q&As

Machine learning-based tools have revolutionized how scientists study protein structure. Here, Nature Chemical Biology speaks to Cecilia Clementi, Bruno Correia and Peilong Lu about progress in developing computational tools for predicting protein structure and properties, how these programs can be used for protein design, and the developments they would like to see in the field.

The field of chemical biology has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Here, we speak to Sarah E. O’Connor, Benjamin F. Cravatt and Chengqi Yi about the major changes that have affected the field, the advances that have affected them and their research, and their thoughts about the most important questions currently facing chemical biologists.

Hiroaki Suga’s research has made substantial contributions to the development of artificial ribozymes and their application in mRNA display libraries. In 2006, Professor Suga help found the biopharmaceutical company PeptiDream Inc. He spoke to Nature Chemical Biology about the future of mRNA display libraries and the advantages they offer.

Byong-Hun Jeon works in the Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering at Hanyang University, South Korea. His research is focused on biodegradation of environmental contaminants. Nature Chemical Biology spoke to Byong-Hun about the chemical biology of phytoremediation and phycoremediation, and the opportunities that they offer.

We asked a collection of chemical biologists: “What is the most exciting frontier area in chemical biology, and what key technology is needed to advance knowledge and applications at this frontier?”

We asked a collection of chemical biologists: “What advice would you give to a junior scientist interested in pursuing a career in chemical biology?”

We asked a collection of chemical biologists: "What do you value most about being part of the chemical biology community?"

We asked a collection of chemical biologists: “What is the most significant challenge facing chemical biology as a discipline?”

We asked a collection of chemical biologists: “What would you say have been the most important historical contributions of chemical biology to broader areas of science”?

Agreeing on a precise definition of chemical biology has been a persistent challenge for the field. We asked a diverse group of scientists to “define chemical biology” and present a selection of responses.