Recent drug discovery success signals renaissance in biophysics

Abstract

With a scope that spans the hierarchy of biological organization from molecules and cells to organisms and populations, the discipline of biophysics has been proven to be particularly well suited for connecting the molecular embodiments of human diseases to the medical conditions experienced by patients. Recently, fundamental biophysical research on aberrant proteins involved in maintaining salt and water balance in our lungs, oxygen transport from our lungs to the rest of the body, and the pumping of blood by our hearts have been successfully translated to the creation of transformational new medicines that are radically changing the lives of patients. With these and other emerging discoveries, the field of applied biophysics is experiencing the beginnings of a veritable renaissance era.