Dr. Catherine Shaffer

Feature Writer

Ph.D

Life Sciences, Cell Biology

Catherine Shaffer is a freelance science and health writer from Michigan. She has written for a wide variety of trade and consumer publications on life sciences topics, particularly in the area of drug discovery and development. She holds a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry and began her career as a laboratory researcher before transitioning to science writing. She also writes and publishes fiction, and in her free time enjoys yoga, biking, and taking care of her pets.

Articles from Catherine

Bioorthogonal Chemistry in Research

The phrase ‘bioorthogonal’ was coined in 2003, and bioorthogonal chemistry is now widely used in research to study biomolecules in living systems.

6 Dec 2018

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Applications

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an analysis method used for studies of surfaces, batteries, photovoltaic systems, and some life science applications.

14 Aug 2018

What is the Electron Transport Chain?

The electron transport chain is comprised of a series of enzymatic reactions within the inner membrane of the mitochondria, which are cell organelles that release and store energy for all physiological needs.

3 Jul 2018

Importance of Allostery in Pharmacology

Allostery refers to the binding of a metabolite at a site other than the chemically active site of a protein. The existence of allosteric sites on receptor molecules has expanded potential drug mechanisms.

29 Jun 2018

Electroporation and the Production of Knockout Mice

Knockout mice are animals that have been genetically modified for so that one or more genes are not expressed, or “knocked out.” Studies are then carried out on the mice to determine what the effects of a loss of the gene have on the animal, or the effects of drugs and other therapies.

28 Jun 2018

Lipidomics in Research

The complete set of lipids in an organism or a cell along with its interactions with other molecules, such as other lipids, proteins, and metabolites constitutes the lipidome. Lipidomics is the comprehensive and quantitative study of the lipidome. It involves identification and quantitation of thousands of biological pathways involving lipids and their interactions.

27 Jun 2018