What is life? Philosophers may have debated the point for centuries, but at one level the answer is straightforward: life is a set of chemical reactions. Complex and multitudinous they may be but, it can be argued, human life can ultimately be described in terms of the interaction of chemical entities. As we journey ever deeper into a cell, we get closer to describing life at a chemical level. At these rarefied depths, however, the biologist cannot explore alone: it's time to call in a chemist.

How comfortable are biologists and chemists on such joint expeditions? Though many successful partnerships exist, chemists and biologists generally follow different travel itineraries. The Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society of Chemistry are holding a series of workshops (see Chemical Bonding box below), enabling chemists and biologists to explore territory in common and obstacles to greater collaboration.

The potential for collaboration is surprisingly great. 'Chemical biology' uses chemical principles and techniques to study biological systems, and exploits this knowledge in medicine and therapeutics. Chemical biology approaches are being used in many areas of research. Computational chemists investigate the structure and properties of biological molecules and how they fold. Single molecule technologies are being developed to probe the mechanical interactions between individual protein molecules. And state-of-the-art mass spectrometry is having a major impact in areas of biological research such as proteomics.

The Royal Society of Chemistry's interest was fired by a recent review of chemistry research in the UK. Overall, an international panel concluded that chemistry research was strong in the UK, but in some areas - biologically related chemistry included - the UK was felt to be lagging its international competitors. Despite areas of undeniable strength - such as biochemistry, protein chemistry and structural biology - UK chemistry had been slow to respond to new opportunities emerging from the life sciences.

Small molecules, big potential

Much of the discussion at the Edinburgh workshop focused on small organic molecules, their synthesis and application in biological research. The presentations, from chemists and biologists, illustrated both the potential for fruitful collaboration and the difficulties that can be encountered in getting them established.

Biologists commonly deal with 'big' molecules - DNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates are all huge (on a microscopic scale), polymeric and complex. But many fundamental biological processes are dependent on 'small' molecules, many naturally occurring biologically active compounds (such as antibiotics) are relatively simple, and, moreover, they can be invaluable biological tools.

Take, for example, a biologist investigating a particular enzyme, or biochemical pathway. Small molecules similar to an enzyme's normal substrates can be used to explore and probe function. A chemical tweak of a substrate can convert it into a very effective inhibitor. In biological experiments, the impact of this inhibition can give clues to its biological role. In more applied studies, such tweaking underpins rational drug discovery, creating molecules that block the function of target molecules known to be involved in disease processes.

An application of particular recent interest goes by the name of 'chemical genetics'. In traditional genetic approaches, a gene is disrupted and the effects of the disruption give clues to the usual function of the gene. In chemical genetics, the gene is left intact, but a small molecule is used to inhibit the protein encoded by the gene. The chemical approach has a couple of distinct advantages - the molecule can be applied at any time, so the effects at a particular point in development can be studied, and the treatment is reversible.

So small-molecule studies are an area ripe for collaboration. For chemists, they provide an opportunity to test themselves on some seriously tricky organic synthesis. For biologists, they provide an arsenal of tools to probe the function of genes and proteins.

Nevertheless, there are obstacles to cross-disciplinary research, and prerequisites that can help ensure successful collaboration. For starters, there is a tendency for both groups to have stereotypical views of the other - biologists as descriptive and innumerate, chemists as too remote from 'real life'. Any successful collaboration has to be based on a mutual respect of differing approaches, and a recognition that each has something different to offer. Moreover, it also needs to be based on shared ownership of a project, from the beginning, both parties deciding how to tackle a problem. It is not just a question of tame chemists providing useful reagents on demand.

But there are other issues. Biologists and chemists have grown up talking different languages. Biology is riddled with obscure three-letter abbreviations. Chemical synthesis pathways resemble hieroglyphics to many biologists. A more practical issue is knowing who to contact. Chemists tend to mix with other chemists, and biologists with biologists. The will may be there, but the network of contacts missing. There is also the vexed issue of funding: chemists and biologists tend to be funded from different sources, and finding money for interdisciplinary research can be problematic. Often, a researcher will want to establish a strong base of funding before attempting something more risky. Psychologically, too, there are inevitably comfort zones to abandon.

So what can be done? Some universities have reorganized departments, or building space, to encourage greater mixing between disciplines. Shared seminars can provide a forum to encourage interaction. Shared retreats, if practicable, are another option. Mailing lists and similar approaches can also help. There is also much to be said for exposing young researchers to different disciplines early in their careers.

Ultimately, it all comes down to personal chemistry, and the ability to share a vision of the excitement and importance of the problem under study.

Related links

• Research funding at the Wellcome Trust: Details of schemes including project, programme and fellowship support

See also

• Chemical Biology Forum established by the Royal Society of Chemistry
• Professor Mike Ferguson at the University of Dundee: Research interests
• Dr Alison Hulme at the University of Edinburgh: Research interests

Contacts

• Dr Pamela Reid
• Dr Simon Edwards