Enzymes play a critical role in biological research due to their essential functions in catalyzing biochemical reactions. In catalysis and reaction mechanism studies, enzymes accelerate biochemical reactions by lowering activation energy. Researchers study enzyme kinetics to understand reaction rates and mechanisms, which can provide insights into metabolic pathways. Additionally, some enzymes such as restriction endonucleases and ligases are fundamental tools in molecular cloning. They allow researchers to cut and splice DNA, enabling the creation of recombinant DNA molecules for further study.