Chemical biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies the principles and tools of chemistry to study and manipulate biological systems. It uses chemical techniques, such as the synthesis of small molecules, chemical probes, and labeled compounds, to investigate the structure, function, and interactions of biol…
Chemical biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies the principles and tools of chemistry to study and manipulate biological systems. It uses chemical techniques, such as the synthesis of small molecules, chemical probes, and labeled compounds, to investigate the structure, function, and interactions of biological molecules including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates within cells and organisms. By bridging chemistry and biology, the field seeks both to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying living processes and to design molecules that can detect, modulate, or report on those processes. Chemical biology contributes to many areas of science and technology, including drug discovery, the development of diagnostic tools, the engineering of biomolecules with new properties, and applications in medicine and agriculture. Its approaches, which include chemical genetics, bioconjugation, and the use of designed inhibitors and sensors, complement those of biochemistry and molecular biology. As a topic within the journal's chemistry scope, chemical biology represents the growing integration of chemical methods with the study of life. This page provides an encyclopedic overview of the field, presenting a general account of its aims and methods rather than citing the journal's chemistry studies, which address related areas of molecular and structural chemistry but do not focus specifically on chemical biology.
2 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 2 articles above have been cited 2 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Chemical Biology, linking to each citing work.