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Course module: UCSCICHE23
UCSCICHE23
Biochemistry
Course info
Course codeUCSCICHE23
EC7.5
Course goals
After completing this course students are able to:
  • demonstrate knowledge of the chemical aspects of the structure and (patho)physiological function of various biomolecules.
  • summarize the chemical basis (mechanism) of the main processes that occur in cells.
  • pinpoint the important features of some diseases
  • write a scientific review paper focusing on the biochemical aspects of a biological subject.
Content
Biochemistry is also called ‘the chemistry of life’. It uses tools and terminologies of chemistry to unravel and understand the processes in living organisms. Knowledge and techniques generated in Biochemistry are implemented in many other fields, such as genetics, medicine, cell biology, biotechnology and immunology, thereby giving insight into the origin of many diseases and enabling the development of new chemotherapeutics and vaccines. The course can be divided into two parts. Part 1 mainly focuses on the structures and biochemical properties of proteins and basic metabolic strategies. In part 2 the knowledge obtained in part 1 will be used to study the molecular design of life. Examples from medical science will be used to illustrate how biochemical knowledge illuminates the (dys)functioning of organisms.

Format
Class meetings:
The course runs over 15 weeks and twice a week for 2 hours a meeting takes place. During these meetings, lectures are given on the chemical aspects of the structure and functioning of biomolecules. In the lectures the key features of each subject are introduced and they provide a framework for questions, discussions and further in-depth study of specialized aspects.
The first lecture of each week starts with a discussion among the students of the topics dealt with the previous week (20-30 min). In the final lecture of each week tutorials on the topics are given by means of exercises or problem-solving questions that put the topics in a biological or clinical setting (30-45 min).
Course book:
In addition to the introductory lectures the corresponding chapters of the book “Biochemistry” (Timoczko) are studied. These chapters provide extensive descriptive text and illustrations. Written instructions accompanying each topic are supplied.
Paper:
Students write a review paper on a biochemical topic related to one of the subjects of the course. The paper must be written in a discussion/opinion format as practiced in modern scientific journals such as ‘Trends in Biochemical Sciences’ or ‘Annual Reviews in Biochemistry’. The paper briefly describes the state of knowledge on a particular topic, combined with a critical interpretation of the data and an opinion of the student pertaining to the central question. To prepare a bibliography, the student uses literature retrieval systems to gain access to relevant papers, and explores the Internet. The students will comment on each others papers (peer review) and the papers will then be revised according to these suggestions.
The paper should give proof of the biochemical knowledge and insights, combined with a critical judgment and opinion of the students (authors).
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