Postgraduate Course: Biophysical Chemistry PGT (CHEM11061)

Course Outline
School	School of Chemistry	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	This is a course of lectures, tutorials and workshops that focuses on the interaction between key biological macromolecules and a wide range of fundamental physical phenomena. The course will describe the means by which these potentially highly informative interactions can be studied, and the data collected and processed. The subsequent exploitation of this data to infer key information concerning the three-dimensional structures, composition, dynamics, spatiotemporal distributions and mutual interactions of biological polymers such as proteins and nucleic acids will be outlined. The benefits to be gained from combined use of orthogonal but complementary techniques in an integrated fashion will be emphasized. The course will also teach how knowledge of the physical properties of biological polymers can be used to predict the way in which they fold, adopt quasi-stable tertiary structures and form complexes with other molecules.
Course description	The course consists of a series of modules on the following topics: hydrodynamics i.e. the inference of molecular size, shape and association properties based on the movements of molecules with or in relation to aqueous solvent; the application of visible and ultra-violet light to studies of native biomolecules or biomolecules conjugated with chromophores or fluorophores (biophotonics) and fluorescent imaging techniques; nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and its applications to structural and dynamic studies of proteins and protein complexes; X-ray crystallography and high-resolution structure determination of macromolecules; electron microscopy applied to biomacromolecules and composite biological structures; and the use of in silico techniques such as molecular dynamics to predict the structure and behaviour of proteins based on an understanding of their physical properties. The course will emphasise the physical basis of each technique and how this relates to its limitations leading to an appreciation of why several experimental and computational techniques, applied in combination, provide the most robust information.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations	Students MUST NOT also be taking Biophysical Chemistry Level 10 (CHEM10014) OR Biophysical Chemistry Level 11 (CHEM11016)	Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 30, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 40, Summative Assessment Hours 3, Revision Session Hours 6, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 111 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 40 %
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)			3:00

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles underlying the interplay between various physical phenomena and the physical properties of biomolecules, along with an awareness of the limitations of current understanding. Apply this knowledge and understanding to achieve a critical and nuanced appreciation of how the information needed to determine macromolecular structures and properties is acquired, processed, synthesised and assembled. Review the theory and practices of a range of biophysical techniques and demonstrate an ability to assess the robustness of the hypothetical models and mechanisms that are inferred from the data they generate, exercising an informed and critical judgement of the available data. In workshops and small-group work collaborate in self-learning exercises and share findings and informed judgements on the orthogonality of biophysical methods with peers.