Neural cells make and break many contacts during their lifetime. The processes of neuroblast migration, axon elongation and guidance, synaptogenesis, myelination and synaptic rearrangement all require the selective formation and elimination of cell-cell and cell-substratum associations.

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans bind to a wide variety of proteins, and in so doing have important roles in diverse biological processes. Selective mimics or inhibitors of protein-glycosaminoglycan interactions could have broad application in biology and medicine.

A culture's icons are a window onto its soul. Few would disagree that, in the culture of molecular biology that dominated much of the life sciences for the last third of the 20th century, the dominant icon was the double helix. In the present, post-modern, 'systems biology' era, however, it is, arguably, the hairball.

Why is the sky blue? Any scientist will answer this question with a statement of mechanism: Atmospheric gas scatters some wavelengths of light more than others. To answer with a statement of purpose—e.g., to say the sky is blue in order to make people happy—would not cross the scientific mind. Yet in biology we often pose “why” questions in which it is purpose, not mechanism,that interests us. The question “Why does the eye have a lens?” most often calls for the answer that the lens is there to focus light rays, and only rarely for the answer that the lens is there because lens cells are induced by the retina from overlying ectoderm.

Proteoglycans are ubiquitous cell-surface and secreted glycoproteins that are involved in diverse cellular behaviors. The identities of several nervous system proteoglycans, including many of the major species in the mammalian brain, have recently come to light. In addition, recent studies have given new insights into the roles of proteoglycans in nervous system development and function.