Living organisms are hierarchical in structure. At the base of this hierarchy are the molecules that make up cells, tissues and organisms, and that eventually mediate how organisms behave and interact with each other. Thus, to understand how life works, what goes wrong in a disease and how to develop therapies, we have to study the molecular processes that occur within cells and how cells integrate these to make a functional organism like a person. Importantly, genes, in the form of DNA, encode the information necessary to build molecules, cells and ultimately organisms capable of reproducing and maintaining life.
At Ryerson, we focus on elucidating the basic building blocks that make up cells. From DNA to the organelles that they code for, we are using this information to understand ways of combating disease and infection.