The Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology is one of 18 academic departments of Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Biochemistry and Cell Biology is also one of four partner departments in the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) graduate program, which awards PhD degrees through the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. Currently there are over 160 graduate students in the MCB program.
Biochemistry and Cell Biology's commitment to excellence in research, education, and service is an important part of our mission. Collegial and collaborative interactions among faculty, postdoctoral research associates and fellows, graduate students, Dartmouth undergraduate students and staff are integral to our culture. The department is committed to ensuring that our environment is inclusive, welcoming and supportive for all community members. A general theme of our research is focused on defining molecular mechanisms that underlie fundamental cellular processes. Our studies continue to provide key insights on aging, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, neurotransmission, prion disease, kidney disease and a range of human health related issues.
Chenhui is being recognized for his accomplishments as a Ph.D. candidate in the labs of Dr. Duane Compton and Dr. Kristina Godek. Chenhui joined the Compton and Godek Labs in June 2019, where his research focuses on the causes and consequences of aneuploidy with incorrect numbers of chromosomes during early human development using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) as a model system. Previous studies have shown that chromosome segregation errors are surprisingly common in human totipotent and pluripotent embryonic cells, resulting in aneuploidy being the leading cause of miscarriages and birth defects. Yet, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood, especially for mitotic errors. Combining quantitative microscopy, live-cell imaging, and biochemical approaches, Chenhui found that the most frequent mitotic error in hPSCs is lagging chromosomes caused by improper microtubule attachments. He further investigated the strategies using small molecules to reduce mitotic errors in hPSCs. Collectively, Chenhui’s work demonstrates that a low mitotic fidelity is an inherent and conserved phenotype of hPSCs. Importantly, chromosome segregation fidelity depends on developmental state in normal human cells, with mitotic error rates increasing upon gain and decreasing upon loss of pluripotency. This work was recently published and featured as the cover in the February 2023 issue of 
Frieda is being recognized for her accomplishments as a postdoctoral research scientist in the lab of Dr. Harry Higgs. She graduated with her Ph.D. in Molecular Cellular Biology from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University and joined the Higgs Lab in February 2019. Frieda’s projects in the Higgs lab encompass two different actin-based structures, “Calcium-induced actin” (CIA) assembled on endoplasmic reticulum, and “Acute damage-induced actin” (ADA) assembled on mitochondria. CIA and ADA are controlled by different actin-binding proteins upon different stimuli, resulting in different cellular consequences. CIA causes mitochondria to divide. ADA occurs when mitochondria fail and appears to be important in maintaining cellular energy supply during this situation. Mitochondria dysfunction is associated with many diseases of aging, including neurodegeneration, so they feel understanding these actin-based structures will help in understanding the aging process. In Frieda’s work published in