molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physicochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis

molecular biologist noun

Examples of molecular biology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Knudsen, a cancer researcher who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology, previously founded the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center’s prostate cancer program and led its cancer care programs as enterprise director. —Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Thanks to advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics, venoms of all animals, including caterpillars, are increasingly easy to investigate—and that should mean big steps forward soon, says Casewell. —Bob Holmes, JSTOR Daily, 27 Feb. 2025

Because many socioeconomic and lifestyle factors co-exist with racial/ethnic identities, research into outcome disparities for specific racial/ethnic groups often serves as a proxy for, and sheds insight into, some of the complex effects of social constructs on the molecular biology of cancer. —Angelique Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025

Perry studied molecular biology and mathematics at Middlebury, carried a 3.92 GPA and will be a doctor one day. —Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for molecular biology

• anesthesiology
• epidemiology
• ethnomethodology
• ethnomusicology
• gastroenterology
• immunobiology
• immunopathology
• neuropharmacology
• neurophysiology
• neuroradiology
• otolaryngology
• paleobiology

Kids Definition

molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology that investigates the structure and function of usually large molecules (as DNA and proteins) of living matter in order to understand their role in biological processes (as inheritance and cell function)

Medical Definition

molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology dealing with the study and understanding of biological activity and processes at the molecular level and especially the molecular basis of gene function and protein synthesis

Molecular biology experiments proved that small pieces of DNA did sometimes move within or between chromosomes, thereby triggering changes in gene expression.

—John Rennie, Scientific American

The test is based on several recent advances in molecular biology, including the new insight that cells slip into the uncontrolled growth known as cancer through defects in specific enzymes that monitor and control division.

—Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times