Mass spectrometry technology and techniques are key to knowing the structure and function of proteins and how they act in the constantly moving highways of biological systems. Alma Burlingame, PhD, faculty member in the UCSF School of Pharmacy's department of pharmaceutical chemistry is a master of mass spectrometry and the interpretation of its results.

Learn from Burlingame about the potential of mass spectrometry in penetrating the composition of human cells, an undertaking that is key to understanding both health and disease. Burlingame is interviewed for Science Café, a UCSF weekly column highlighting the culture, conduct, and community of science: A Speck of Spec: An Conversation with Al Burlingame.