The Biology & Biochemistry field includes journals that cover the following topics:

• structure and chemistry of biological molecules
• molecular, cellular and clinical studies of the endocrine system
• regulation of cell, organ, and system functions by hormones
• experimental research in general biology and biological systems
• regulation of biological functions at the whole-organism level
• exploitation of living organisms or their components
• industrial microbiology
• pollution remediation
• industrial chemicals and enzymes
• biosensors
• bioelectronics
• pesticide development
• food, flavor and fragrance industry applications
• waste treatment

The top 20 institutions in this field are dominated by US-based universities, hospitals, and government-supported institutions, but there are also institutions representing Asia, Europe, and Canada.

The most-cited institution in this field is Harvard University, with 8,414 papers cited a total of 284,758 times to date. Among Harvard’s research interests in this field are the structure and function of protein kinases, cell signaling, and oncogene regulation. Among Harvard’s highly cited researchers are Dennis Selkoe, who has spoken with us about his work on Alzheimer’s disease, and Stanley Korsmeyer, who spoke with us about his highly cited publications on apoptosis.

Coming in at #2 is the University of Texas system, with 8,549 papers cited a total of 224,625 times to date. X-ray diffraction data, cyclooxygenase, apoptosomes, MAP kinases, and nuclear receptors are some of the topics being highly cited for the University of Texas. Researcher Thomas Sudhof has spoken with us in the past about his work on the synaptic vesicle cycle.

Germany’s Max Planck Society ranks at #3, with 5,437 papers cited a total of 132, 102 times to date. Topics in this institution’s most-cited papers include RNA interference, calcium influx, crystal structures, protein folding, and how cells handle cholesterol. Three of the papers in the top 20 are coauthored by Thomas Tuschl, with whom we have spoken about his gene silencing research.

The University of Tokyo is ranked at #4, with 6,491 papers cited a total of 115,788 times to date. Researchers at the University of Tokyo are getting recognized for their work on enzyme structures, circadian oscillation, chemotaxis regulation, calcium channels, and signal pathways.

The University of California, San Francisco, claims the #5 slot, with 3,792 papers cited a total of 115,719 times to date. Prions, apoptosis, protein folding, protein kinase complexes, the role of leptin in reproductive function, and actin in non-muscle cells are all areas covered in UCSF’s most-cited papers.

Close on UCSF’s heels is another University of California location—San Diego. UCSD ranks at #6, and has 3,658 papers to its credit, which have been cited a total of 110,601 times to date. Topics putting UCSD in the top 20 institutions include green fluorescent protein, MAP kinases, NF kappa ß, nuclear receptor function, LDL oxidation, and the phospholipase A(2) superfamily. We have spoken with several researchers affiliated with UCSD over the years, including Michael Karin, Edward Korzus, and Douglas Green.

Two other University of California institutions are in the top 20: UCLA is at #12, with 3,642 papers cited a total of 90,460 times, and UC Berkeley is at #17, with 3,077 papers cited a total of 81,682 times.

Rounding out the top 10 are Johns Hopkins with 3,845 papers cited a total of 99,116 times to date, the University of Washington with 3,590 papers cited a total of 98,185 times to date, the University of Pennsylvania with 3,613 papers cited a total of 93,864 times to date, and Stanford University with 3,040 papers cited a total of 93,359 times to date.

The other European institutions on our list are the University of Oxford at #18 (3,448 papers with 81,085 total cites) and France’s CNRS at #20 (4,710 papers with 80,122 total cites). Canada enters the list at #19—the University of Toronto has 3,808 papers to its name, with a total of 80,302 citations to date.

The top 20 institutions in Biology & Biochemistry are listed in full in the table below: