St. Jude Research
Chair: J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD

Department of Cell & Molecular Biology

  

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About the department

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) at St. Jude was established in 2015 to enhance and expand the institution’s commitment to fundamental biomedical research. Investigators in the department share a common goal of deciphering how complex collections of molecules work together to define the form and function of a cell and how cells function together to support complex physiology. Informed by structural and biophysical insights into molecular function and aided by an understanding of the assembly of higher-order complexes and pathways, our multi-dimensional research elucidates the function, and dysfunction, of organismal systems.  

A distinctive feature of CMB is that our investigators take cues from patients, especially genetic insights, to inform fundamental biological questions. Our research programs focus on catastrophic diseases of children, with special attention to pediatric neurological diseases. Our goal is to reveal disease mechanisms that can inform therapeutic development. 

CMB has been a champion in advancing the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative and previously housed the Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research, which moved to the Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience in 2026 upon the department’s founding. Committed to providing researchers with cutting-edge technology, CMB developed and hosts the Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, an institutional shared resource providing genome engineering technology to investigators across St. Jude. Additionally, CMB co-launched the Center for Spatial Omics, an institutional shared resource, alongside the Department of Developmental Neurobiology, and is part of the pan-institutional effort that brought the Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology to life.

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Leadership

CMB Faculty

Department at a glance

Training and development

CMB is home to many trainees including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and MD fellows. Monthly work-in-progress meetings led by these trainees raise the visibility of ongoing work across member labs and provide opportunities for interaction and feedback from a broad range of experts. These forums also serve as robust training grounds for trainees who benefit from candid and productive feedback. 

CMB employs a wide range of approaches to study a broad variety of topics. CMB researchers are experts in genome engineering, model organisms, advanced light microscopy, genetics, biophysics and structural biology. These approaches are used to address questions pertaining to autophagy, mechanisms of cell death, biomolecular condensation, cell signaling, DNA damage responses, epigenetics, lipid metabolism and centrosome function. The common thread connecting this broad range of biological topics is a focus on illuminating the fundamental processes that go awry in catastrophic pediatric diseases.

Contact us

Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 340
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA
jpaul.taylor@stjude.org
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA
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