Advanced Biochemistry Lab

Catalog description

/ CHEM 3320 - Organic Chemistry I & II and Lab, CHEM 4500 / CHEM 4520 - Biochemistry and Lab or with the consent of the instructor. This course will expand on the basic concepts covered in CHEM 4520 . Student will deepen their knowledge of and hands-on experience with cloning, bacterial expressing, enzyme purification, and assay development. The student will perform a semester-long project that involves amplification of a gene using PCR, cloning the PCR product, expressing the protein in E. coli, purifying the protein, and developing and optimizing an assay to measure enzyme activity. The purification will employ a state-of-the-art purification system from GE Healthcare, the AKTA System, which is specifically designed for protein purification. Hands-on practical experience will be gained in molecular biology, general biochemical techniques, and fundamental enzymology. Time: 3 lab hours twice a week.