Timothy J. Mitchison, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology (ICCB)
SGM 604
250 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115

The Harvard Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology (ICCB) was founded in 1997 as a collaboration between the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Harvard Medical School to create the new field of chemical genetics, where small molecules are used to explore the cellular and physiological function of proteins. Not only is this a collaboration of academic scientists, it is a collaboration with industrial partners. Currently, the ICCB is supported by Merck, Merck KGaA in Germany, and the National Cancer Institute.

Modern developments in synthetic organic chemistry, molecular cell biology, and iniaturization science now make it possible to develop specific, cell permeable inhibitors or activators for many important proteins and cellular processes. The use of small molecules to activate or inactivate gene products as a means to determine the cellular function of a protein is called "Chemical Genetics." The overall process emulates the principles defined by geneticists during their search for mutations that illuminate protein function. These natural product-like compounds will be extremely valuable basic research tools, and some will also be useful starting points for design of novel therapeutics. Progress in this area depends on developing close interactions between chemists and molecular cell biologists, as well as close interactions between academic laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry.

In order to achieve these goals the ICCB was created. The ICCB embodies several concepts that are essential for success in this endeavor: chemists and cell biologists work side by side at ICCB, visiting scientists from our corporate partners work with ICCB researchers and are thus able to collaborate on projects and exchange ideas. ICCB laboratories are supervised by a group of professors and Institute Fellows whose combined expertise spans from modern asymmetric synthesis to basic cell biology. A new type of collaboration with the government and the pharmaceutical industry provides a source of expertise and funding for ICCB. Industrial partners benefit at the level of information and communication. Both the Medical School and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard are committed to the success of the project, and have contributed to its founding. ICCB is housed in 12,000 square feet of newly renovated space in the Quadrangle at the Harvard Medical School and supports 50 researchers, including graduate students, research assistants, postdoctorals, and Institute Fellows.

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