The focus of biochemical research is the study of living organisms at the molecular level. This includes investigations into the composition of living cells and tissues and studies directed towards understanding biochemical reactions and the molecular changes that occur during biological processes.

Biochemistry is one of the most rapidly developing fields within the natural sciences and during the last few decades much of this growth has taken place in the area of molecular biology. The rapid progress has been due to the development of new and efficient research materials and methods (e.g. radioisotopes, chromatography, electrophoresis, spectro-photometry, x-ray diffraction, immunological detection and nucleic acid analysis). Biochemical methods have a central position in bioscientific research and in biotechnological applications. Modern biotechnology, based primarily on molecular techniques, is presently one of the most rapidly expanding areas of science and is expected to rival the success of the electronics industry in the near future.