Biochemistry

This is an independent research course with research arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific research topics vary each term and are described on a special project form for each student. A substantial paper is required. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

This course introduces the basic energetic principles governing metabolism and concepts of bioenegetics including discussions on enzymes and regulatory mechanisms in catabolic and anabolic pathways.   

As the second part of Biochemistry 1, Biochemistry 2 covers chemical reactions in biology on the basis of the molecular system. The course examines metabolism of lipids, amino acids, and carbohydrates; the anabolism of lipids, amino acids, and carbohydrates. Topics include gene expression, regulation of prokaryotes and ehkaryotes, protein targeting, protein synthesis, RNA processing, and DNA rearrangement. 

This course studies basic concepts of biochemistry and chemistry of food as well as the basic principles of food science and natural products chemistry.  The course covers the following topics: food allergens; novel functions of dietary vitamins and its contribution to our health; food and bioactive natural products for human health; beneficial health effects of dietary lipids; chemistry and biochemistry of marine toxins; application of high pressure to food processing; protein chemistry; bioactive molecules and their application for drug discovery; medicinal chemistry of antibacterial and antiviral agents; synthetic and medicinal chemistry of marine natural products, and nutrient-inspired biomaterials and its applications for the health purposes. 

This course provides a strong foundation in the study of protein structure and function. Topics include structures and structural complexity of proteins and methods used to determine their primary, secondary and tertiary structures; biological functions of proteins in terms of their regulatory, structural, protective and transport roles; the catalytic action of enzymes, their mechanism of action and regulation; and various approaches used in studying the structure-function relationships of proteins. The course has a prerequisite of Biochemistry.

This course offers a study of the basic and advanced guidelines in academia and the pharmaceutical sector on the selection of drug targets, the design of new drugs, and the procedures for real-life drug discovery settings.

This course covers amino acids, the fundamentals of protein structure, isolation and purification of proteins, modification of proteins, and methods of determining protein conformation. It also covers the basics of enzyme catalysis and kinetics with specific case studies. Other topics include ion transport, and other transport proteins, and the utilization of proteins and soluble cofactors to generate and store metabolic energy. Students learn the basics of metabolism in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, as well as ATP synthesis and membrane bound electron transfer in mitochondria. Chloroplasts in plants and algae, and molecular motors, such as muscles, that consume metabolic energy are also covered. 

This course covers the different types of membrane proteins, how they can be overexpressed and purified from a host cell, and how different methods can be used to analyze their structure and function. The course includes predictions and practical investigations of protein folding in a membrane, as well as a shorter project where you under guidance plan and carry out cloning and overexpression of a membrane protein of your choice.  Course lectures address the three different main types of membrane proteins and associated cellular processes: transport and transporters, signal transduction and receptors, bioenergetics, and photosynthetic and respiratory proteins. Lectures dealing with methods for theoretical modeling of membrane protein structure, fusion protein techniques, X-ray crystallography, heterologous expression, solubilization, and purification of membrane proteins are also included in the course. Laboratory sessions, exercises, and project work are used to determine the transmembrane topology of a protein starting with a model of the protein based on sequence information and theoretical methods. This is followed by experimental determination using genetic construction and expression of a fusion protein of the membrane protein and a marker protein in a bacterial system which is subsequently analyzed.  An individually planned and executed project on protein expression provides practice in literature searching, project planning, and documentation. The project is to be concluded with a poster presentation.

To give students the opportunity to understand the key aspects of chemistry that are relevant to biochemistry, including the important structural implications of biologically relevant macromolecules, thermodynamics, and chemical reactions together with their reaction kinetics.

This course addresses how modern techniques of structural and chemical biology are being used to solve biological problems. It draws on multiple aspects of macromolecular biochemistry including nucleic acid structure and interactions, signaling proteins, and membrane proteins.  The course demonstrates how this knowledge can be used in drug discovery and protein design in biotechnology. Topics include mechanisms of reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibitors, ligand binding, protein folding, the molecular basis for protein function, regulation of protein activity, cell signaling, and proteomics. Assessment: Tests count 40%; practicals, tutorials essays, and assignments count 10%; one 3-hour examination written in June counts 50%. A subminimum of 40% in the examination is required.

This course provides a firm and rigorous foundation in current concepts of the structure and functions of biomolecules in molecular cellular biology. These fundamental concepts form the basis of almost all recent advances in biological and biomedical sciences. The course introduces and discusses biomolecular structures and functions (including protein, carbohydrates, lipid, and nucleotides) and how these biomolecules play roles in biological processes including cellular biocatalyst and metabolism. Practical sessions provide experience in data interpretation and learning of basic laboratory techniques.