Biochemistry

• Biochemistry can be broadly defined as the application of tools from both chemistry and molecular biology to understand life at the molecular level. Biochemists are especially interested in the structure and function of biological macromolecules such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA; the pathways by which cells synthesize important molecules; and the molecular processes that enable cells to carry out their functions. Biochemists must have extensive knowledge of organic chemistry, although they come primarily from a biology background and perspective.
  
  

Chemical Biology

• Like biochemists, chemical biologists study the chemistry of life, but they seek ways to manipulate it using small molecules. They too must have strong knowledge of chemistry and biology, but they come primarily from a chemistry background and perspective. They focus to a greater degree on organic synthesis: how to design small molecules and synthesize them from smaller building blocks. Chemical biologists often work on the design of new drugs, although they may also work on experiments that explore the function of biological pathways using small molecular tools.
  
  

Focus

• While there is a considerable amount of overlap between these two disciplines, the emphasis in each is different. A biochemist wants to understand the chemistry of life, whereas a chemical biologist wants to design interventions to treat disease or ensure other desirable outcomes. At pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, chemical biologists design new drug candidates while biochemists design assays, or test, to determine which candidates have an effect. A biochemist is usually more ill-acquainted with the techniques used to synthesize new molecules, while a chemical biologist is usually more ill-acquainted with molecular biology tools such as micro-arrays and cloning.
  
  

Undergraduate Education

• Both biochemistry and chemical biology majors take a core of courses in mathematics, general chemistry, cell biology, physics, organic chemistry and genetics. Chemical biologists, however, usually go on to take more courses in pharmacology, physical, inorganic and organic chemistry, and master organic synthesis, while biochemists generally go on to take more courses in biochemistry and molecular biology. A biochemist will probably have more experience in molecular biology lab classes, while a chemical biologist will probably have more experience in organic chemistry lab classes.