The Steitz Lab is run by Prof. Thomas Steitz, Sterling Professor of MB&B, Professor of Chemistry, Investigator, H.H.M.I. Prof. Steitz's research recently garnered a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His lab aims to understand the biological functions of macromolecules in terms of their detailed molecular structure. Of particular interest are the molecular mechanisms by which those proteins and nucleic acids involved in the central dogma of molecular biology (DNA replication, transcription, translation and genetic recombination) achieve their biological function. Future directions will focus on the complex macromolecular assemblies that are the functional machines in these processes, including the ribosome and the replisome.