The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) is an international

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

concerned with

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and phys ...

. Formed in 1955 as the International Union of Biochemistry (IUB), the union has presently 79 member countries and regions (as of 2020).IUBMB: the first half-century.This is the IUBMB History.
/ref> The Union is devoted to promoting research and education in biochemistry and molecular biology throughout the world and gives particular attention to areas where the subject is still in its early development

History

The first Congress of Biochemistry was held in 1949 in Cambridge, UK, and was inspired by German-born British biochemist Sir

Hans Adolf Krebs Sir Hans Adolf Krebs, FRS (, ; 25 August 1900 – 22 November 1981) was a German-born British biologist, physician and biochemist. He was a pioneer scientist in the study of cellular respiration, a biochemical process in living cells that ex ...

as a means of bringing together biochemists who had been separated by World War II from collaborating. At the time, biochemistry was blossoming as a discipline and was seeking its own recognition as a Union within the

International Council for Science The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to multilateralism, international cooperation in the advancement of scie ...

(ICSU). The Congress was a first step to recognize Biochemistry as a separate discipline and entity. At the final session of this congress, the International Committee of Biochemistry was set up with 20 members from 14 countries with the goal obtaining from the ICSU ‘recognition as the international body representative of biochemistry, with a view to the formal constitution of an International Union of Biochemistry as soon as possible’. Discussions continued over the next few years, and by the third Congress of Biochemistry, which took place in Brussels in 1955, the International Union of Biochemistry (IUB) was formed and officially admitted to the ICSU. In 1991, the IUB changed its name to the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB).

Members

The IUBMB unites biochemists and molecular biologists in 75 countries that belong to the IUBMB as an Adhering Body or Associate Adhering Body represented by a biochemical society, a national research council or an academy of sciences. It also represents the regional organizations, Federation of Asian Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB),

Federation of European Biochemical Societies The Federation of the European Biochemical Societies, frequently abbreviated FEBS, is an international scientific society promoting activities in biochemistry, molecular biology and related research areas in Europe and neighbouring regions. It was ...

(FEBS), and Pan-American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PABMB).

Meetings

IUBMB organizes a triennial Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and sponsors three annual Focussed Meetings. In addition, it supports symposia, educational activities (including the Tang Fellowships), award lectures (including Jubilee Lectures), and travel grants for students around the world.

Fellowships

The IUBMB is committed to providing training opportunities to biochemists and molecular biologists around the world. The Wood Whelan Research fellowship, established in honor of past-Presidents Harland G. Wood and

William Joseph Whelan William Joseph Whelan FRS (14 November 1924 – 5 June 2021) was a British-born American biochemist. He was professor and chair of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami. He fou ...

, provides opportunities for students to travel to a laboratory in a different country to work on a specified project. Mid Career Fellowships provide a similar opportunity to early career investigators. The IUBMB collaborates with

American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906, at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel (Johns Hopkins University). The roots of the society were in the American Phy ...

to offer PROLAB fellowships to provide opportunities for Latin American students to study in the US.

Biochemical nomenclature

The IUBMB publishes standards on biochemical nomenclature, including

Enzyme Commission number The Enzyme Commission number (EC number) is a numbering scheme, numerical classification scheme for enzymes, based on the chemical reactions they catalysis, catalyze. As a system of enzyme nomenclature, every EC number is associated with a recomme ...

nomenclature, in some cases jointly with the

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

(IUPAC). The enzyme nomenclature scheme was developed in 1955 at the International Congress of Biochemistry and, with the addition of translocases in 2018, contains 7 classes of enzymes.

Publications

The IUBMB is associated with the journals ''IUBMB Life'', ''Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education'' (formerly ''Biochemical Education''), ''BioFactors'', ''

Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry ''Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering biotechnology applied to medicine, veterinary medicine, and diagnostics. Topics covered include the expression, extraction, purification, formulati ...

'', '' Molecular Aspects of Medicine'' and '' Trends in Biochemical Sciences''. The publishing program supports the IUBMB's mission of fostering growth and advancement of biochemistry and molecular biology as the foundation from which the biomolecular sciences derive their basic ideas and techniques in the service of humanity.

Leadership

References

External links

IUBMB Nomenclature Recommendations
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Union Of Biochemistry And Molecular Biology Biochemistry organizations Organizations established in 1955 Molecular biology organizations Chemistry organizations Standards organizations in Canada Chemical nomenclature International scientific organizations Scientific supraorganizations Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council