Basic science research is conducted to help doctors better understand what causes a disease, to analyze how current treatments work, and to develop potential new therapies.

Basic science research is done in laboratories using beakers and test tubes, not people. Investigators look at the micro - the cellular and molecular level of life - to better understand the macro, such as diseases and disorders.

While the implications for discoveries in basic research are sometimes unknown, discoveries by basic science researchers become the foundation for important breakthroughs in medical treatments and diagnostic technologies.