PIMB

The genomes and transcriptomes of most model systems are either complete, or nearly so. However, identifying all of the genes in a given organism is the easy part. The challenge to all current and future cell and developmental biologists is to understand what all of these genes and their protein products actually do in their normal cellular context. New advances in cell imaging, structural biology, computer modeling, proteomics, and genetic tools make this a realistic goal. The advances made in this field will be invaluable to elucidate the underlying molecular and cellular basis to many human birth defects and diseases.