Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which was the 7^th leading cause of death in the United States in 2004. Alzheimer's is a major focus of biomedical research, and there is still much to be learned about the cellular events that lead to this devastating disease. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the disease will lead to new targets for drug discovery.

Protein Processing
Almost every aspect of survival and reproduction in living cells is accomplished, at the molecular level, by interactions between proteins, or between proteins and other molecules such as DNA. Proteins are the ultimate way that genetic information is expressed. The DNA sequence of each gene is ultimately expressed as a chain of amino acids----that is, as a protein chain.

But after they are transcribed and translated from the DNA, proteins are also subject to many posttranslational modifications. Proteins must be correctly folded into their functional three-dimensional structures, and misfolded proteins must be removed, or they become toxic to the cells. In general, proteins that are no longer useful must be cleared from the cell or they can lead to serious diseases.

Cell Cycle
The molecular control of the cell division cycle has become a major focus in understanding health and disease. In cancer biology in particular, tumors can be understood to have somehow circumvented the normal controls over cell division that maintain structure and order in living tissues. One of the ways that organisms have

Apoptosis
Apoptosis, which is a molecular process that results in the lysis and death of cells, is a mechanism that helps multicellular organisms to fight infections and cancers. It is also a normal part of development, since cell death also helps to sculpt certain tissues, such as limbs. For this reason, the molecular mechanisms that control apoptosis are of tremendous interest in biology and medicine.

Calcium as a Cellular Signal and Secondary Messenger
At the cellular level, calcium acts as an intermediary (second messenger) in many vital cellular processes.