Module BIOL3371: ADVANCED BIOCHEMISTRY (LIT)

Department: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

BIOL3371: ADVANCED BIOCHEMISTRY (LIT)

Tied To

• CFG0: Natural Sciences
• FGC0: Natural Sciences

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To promote an understanding of contemporary research areas in biochemistry.
• Demonstrate how biochemical questions can be investigated.
• the basis of appropriate experimental techniques and how data acquired from these can be used to build and test models for the molecular understanding of biological processes.
• Promote an understanding of advanced bioinformatics to retrieve and interpret biological data.
• A supervised investigation of an area within Biological Sciences where knowledge obtained by literature source is important.

Content

• The rationale and approaches used in examples of current research in biochemistry will be investigated.
• This will include the influence of developments in technology on data acquisition and the possible approaches that can be used to investigate biochemical problems.
• The primary research literature will be used to illustrate the ways in which data is generated and used to build models for the molecular understanding of biological processes.
• Examples of areas that may be investigated are: Protein complexity and covalent modifications.
• Protein interactions and substrate channelling in metabolism.
• Cold perception and signal transduction.
• Engineering fatty acid metabolism.
• Secondary metabolism.
• Advanced Bioinformatics will include: Relationships between protein structure and function.
• Uses in rational protein design.
• Internet databases.
• Searching and interpreting specific databases.
• Composite and secondary databases.
• Virtual reality modelling.
• Structural biology databases: use in defining structure-function relationships.

Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to: Appreciate some current areas of biochemical research.

• Interpret experimental results in areas of biochemistry and comment on these: Understand the limitations and possibilities of new technologies in biochemistry.
• Rationalise approaches which can be used to solve a biochemical problem dependent on the knowledge base available.
• Use appropriate bioinformatics procedures to retrieve and interpret biological data and know how to.

• Extract, compile and review relevant scientific information from various sources and evaluate them critically.
• Acquire, interpret and critically analyse experimental data and present the results effectively.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• MCQs are appropriate as a revision aid and to demonstrate knowledge acquisition.
• The data handling exercise will show the ability to interpret data and develop presentation skills.
• Examinations will be used to test understanding of current research areas and methodologies within Biochemistry.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

MCQs to assess knowledge.