Courses

4 Credits | Fall Semester

Survey of fundamental concepts in biochemistry and molecular biology, with emphasis on metabolism. Biochemistry topics include amino acids, protein structure, nucleic acids, enzymes, transcription, replication, translation, chromatin, and nucleic acid metabolism.  The metabolism component discusses carbohydrates, amino acids, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, fatty acid synthesis and oxidation, and lipid metabolism.

4 Credits | Fall Semester

This is a survey course of core topics in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology, with emphasis on applications to biomedical research and biotechnology. Topics include amino acids, protein structure, nucleic acids, enzyme function and kinetics, transcription,  DNA replication,translation, chromatin, nucleotide metabolism, basics of immunology, signal transduction, hormones, cancer biology, and human genetics. This 4- credit class meets every Monday and Wednesday from 4:30-5:45 pm and every Tuesday from 9:00-10:15am. Everyone is expected to go over the lecture slides and notes carefully and read the relevant pages of the textbook prior to and in preparation for each lecture and be prepared to participate in class discussion. There will be four exams.

3 Credits | Fall or Spring Semester

This course introduces the student to the scientific methodology of biotechnology and biochemistry. Topics include analysis, purification, and quantification of nucleic acids and proteins, PCR and qPCR applications, DNA microarrays, next generation sequencing, basic and advanced cloning techniques, protein-protein interactions, molecular diagnostics, protein and nucleic acid therapeutics, molecular vaccines, bionanotechnology, plant biotechnology, and product development.

3 Credits | Fall Semester

This course is an introduction to core methods in biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories. Methods used for analysis, purification and quantitation of nucleic acids and proteins, DNA sequencing, PCR, cloning strategies, proteomic and metabolomics, mutagenesis, gene silencing and genome editing, immunotecchniques, and epigenomic analysis are discussed in-depth. Problem-solving sessions are included as part of the course.

1 Credit | Fall or Spring Semester

The sequencing of the human genome that was completed in 2001 and the explosion of “omic data” has accelerated our understanding of basic genetics and how we think of biology. We are now in the “omic” era of molecular biology that has given birth to the new field of Bioinformatics. All this data can be used meaningfully for biological and clinical research only if we can extract the relevant functional information from them and convert biological data into knowledge of biological systems. Fortunately, by using bioinformatics we can make headway in understanding and extracting relevant biological information from these sequences. The aim of this course is to introduce the various tools and resources that are available as applicable to biomedical research. This course is highly experiential with both lectures and “hands-on” sessions.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

The goal of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules. Students will learn about molecular structure determination techniques as well as the biological relevance of molecular structure-function relationships. Lectures are given by renowned experts in the field. As part of the course, students will explore structures of proteins implicated in human diseases. The course is a mix of lectures and hands-on sessions. The students will learn several tools and structural resources that includes drug-design, docking and in-silico drug-screening.

3 Credits | Spring Semester

Translational bioinformatics is a field that enables transformation of basic science discoveries into clinically applicable knowledge. This provides opportunities for the practice of precision medicine and the application of systems approaches. This course will expose students to the wide range of biomedical data, from publicly available next-generation sequencing data to genetic and genomic data as applicable to cancer research. The course will comprise of a combination of lectures, invited seminars, and hands-on computer-based exercises utilizing web-based bioinformatics tools and publically-available databases Using different cancer types as examples, students will learn how to analyze data generated by genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and other high-throughput approaches. The main goal is to understand these diseases from a Systems Perspective and learn to translate this knowledge from bench to bedside. Students will learn to perform NGS, RNAseq data analysis and use of many cancer resources.

2 Credits | Fall Semester

This course will introduce students to the foundational concepts of Toxicology and Pharmacology. Topics to be discussed will include major classifications of toxicants and drugs as they relate to organ systems or major pathophsyiological disease effects such substances are likely to engender. Toxic substances in Foods, Water and Medicines will be discussed as well as in Industrial chemical substances that can be encountered in environments at work, home and at leisure.

2 Credits | Fall Semester

This lecture and laboratory course provides biochemistry, biotechnology, and biomedical graduate students with a basic overview of apoptosis, or programmed cell death (PCD), as well as some practical hands-on experience on induction of apoptosis and analysis of morphological and biochemical markers of apoptosis. The course aims to provide in-depth background, with emphasis given to developing an understanding of the basic mechanisms and pathways of apoptosis, a form of cellular suicide important in both normal development and a number of human diseases, including cancer, as well as the practical aspects of modulating this process in the  development of therapeutic approaches to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. 

3 Credits | Fall or Spring Semester

This is an intense hands-on course that will cover various aspects of fermentation and bioprocessing. Students will use bioreactors to grow cells for purification of different biologics.

2 Credits | Fall Semester

This course introduces students to the latest immunological techniques used in research and diagnostic laboratories. The lab component of the course will give students an intensive hands-on experience with techniques commonly used in biomedical research. The course aims to develop expertise in various standard laboratory biochemical, molecular, and cell biology techniques, such as aseptic technique and cell culture, immunocytochemistry, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analysis, magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS), RNA extraction, qPCR for gene expression analysis, etc.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

The Food Biotechnology course provides an introduction to the fascinating field of biotechnology and its role in the food industry. With broad-brush strokes, it covers many facets of the world of foods, which is very diverse yet very personal to all of us. The topics covered relate to food ingredients, fermentations, bioterrorism, FDA regulations, rapid detection techniques of food born pathogens, chemical senses, nutrigenomics and nutraceuticals. Laboratory component is provided as part of the course.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

3-dimensional (3D) cell culture system is an important study model in drug discovery pipeline for its better mimicry of cellular microenvironment in vivo. This course will introduce students to essential cell culture concepts and techniques. In particular, it will focus on hands-on laboratory training of spheroid culture from tumor cells and organoid culture from primary cells. Different 3D culture techniques will be introduced including scaffold based and non-scaffold based. High throughput drug toxicity screening will be performed to examine effects in tumor proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Students will be exposed to the biomedical assays to screen for personalized medicine.

0 Credits | Fall or Spring Semester

This course will review scientific ethics, plagiarism and how to submit documents through TurnItIn as well as other ethical issues that violate standards of academic integrity.

0 Credits | Fall or Spring Semester
Course instructor permission is required.

This course will prepare and guide Biochemistry students for Internship (BCHB 7951) and inform them of the search and internship lab placement process.