CHEM751 - Chemical Biology

This course focuses on current topics in Chemical Biology, particularly experiments in which 1) chemical synthesis enables one to probe or control biological systems, or 2) manipulation of biological systems facilitates novel chemical syntheses. The course is broadly divided into two sections, one dealing with the study of individual proteins and nucleic acids, and one dealing with complex cellular systems. As the goal of the course is to familiarize students with innovative recent experimental approaches and to stimulate them to conceive of their own new methodology, students will be responsible for delivering presentations on topics selected from the literature, designing experiments to address currently unsolved problems in Chemical Biology (in take-home examinations), and generating several novel research proposal ideas, one of which will be elaborated into a full proposal.