Teaching
Biol.4290/5290 Recombinant Protein Production Techniques
This course introduces students to the principles and practice of recombinant protein expression and purifications. Proteins are major targets of pharmaceuticals, and are themselves increasingly used as therapeuticals. However both basic research and pharmaceutical industry depends on availability of purified proteins that are often difficult to isolate from native sources. This course will provide both didactic and laboratory instruction. It is comprised of a series of lecture and laboratory exercises, with an emphasis on practical techniques and hands-on experience of recombinant protein purification. The course will cover a variety of expression systems, including prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and address traditional and new methods in protein purification. 4 credits, Fall semesters.
Prerequisites: Biol.2330L Experimental Methods in Biology; or consent of Instructor
Syllabus: Fall 2016
Biol.4890/5890 Practical Protein Crystallography
This course provides grounding in the principles and practice of protein x-ray crystallography. As the importance of proteins continues to grow, more and more researchers have found a working knowledge of protein crystallography to be an indispensable tool in fields ranging from basic biological sciences to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The course will be unique in format and provide both didactic and laboratory instruction. It is comprised of a series of lecture and laboratory exercises, with an emphasis on practical techniques and hands-on experience of modern protein crystallography. The course will cover the fundamental knowledge about x-ray physics, instrumentation and geometrical diffraction, protein crystallization, macromolecular data collection and processing, phase estimation and improvement, model building and refinement, and model assessment. 4 credits, Spring semesters.
Prerequisites: Biol.2330L Experimental Methods in Biology or equivalent; or consent of Instructor
Syllabus: Spring 2017
Biol.3xxx Introduction to Bioinformatics
An introduction to the field of bioinformatics with some hands-on exploration of applications. Specific areas include scientific archives and information retrieval, genome organization, comparative genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, structural bioinformatics, and systems biology. This course also imparts basic computational skills in data retrieval from the databases in molecular and structural biology. 3 credits, Spring semesters.
Prerequisites: Principles of Biology I (Biol.1110) and II (Biol.1120); or consent of Instructor
Syllabus: Spring 2018
81.451 Senior Seminar in Biology
This course instructs students in developing effective writing and speaking skills required for preparation of scientific manuscripts and presentations, and communicating in the scientific world. Students will be required to prepare and present oral presentations and to submit written reports. 2 credits, Fall and Spring semesters.
Syllabus: Fall 2011
81.428/528 Molecular Biotechnology: recombinant protein production
A study of the principles and applications of modern molecular biotechnology. The course will start with the fundamentals of biotechnology using recombinant DNA methodologies. Selected topics will then be discussed, with a particular focus on recombinant protein production for industrial, agricultural, pharmaceutical, or biomedical applications. Recent developments in methodologies and applications of transgenic plants and animals will also be covered, as well as the social, regulatory, and ethical issues of molecular biotechnology. In addition to the required textbook, students will be required to read and discuss assigned articles concerning current development in molecular biotechnology. To take the graduate level credits (81.528), students will also be required to read and present an additional primary research paper from the scientific literature. 3 credits, Spring semesters.
Prerequisites: 81.419/519 Biochemistry; or consent of Instructor
Syllabus: Spring 2012