Advanced Biochemistry

Catalog description

This course focuses on an interdisciplinary overview of physical and chemical principles and their applications to modern topics of biochemical, biomedical and biological interest. It emphasizes the basic principles of typical biophysical techniques that are used to study important macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Topics include molecular spectroscopic techniques such as light absorption, fluorescence techniques, optical activity, electrophoresis, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Applications from selected areas of biomedicine and biotechnology are described that include examples focused on biomolecular spectroscopy, single molecule spectroscopy and molecular beacons, DNA technology, and fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. Prerequisites and corequisites: Physical Chemistry: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy ( CHEM-UA 651 ) and Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics ( CHEM-UA 652 ) with grades of C or better (one must be taken as a prerequisite and the other can be taken as a corequisite).