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REGARDING THE BIO 466 BIOPHYSICS COURSE

SPRING 2009-2010

BIO 466 BIOPHYSICS


Instructor
: Deniz Sezer

Office: FENS G021

Email: dsezer@sabanciuniv.edu

Phone: 483-9881

Office Hours:

            Wednesday    15:00 – 17:00            FENS G021

 

Lecture Hours:

Wednesday    12:40 – 13:30                       FASS G056     (in class quiz)

Thursday       12:40 –
13:30                        FASS G056     (homework due)

 

Course Description: The objective of this course is to introduce
the students to concepts and techniques in theoretical biophysics. To this end,
a selection of basic molecular processes encountered in courses on molecular
and cell biology will be examined from a quantitative perspective. Throughout,
the non-equilibrium and single-molecule (stochastic) aspects of these processes
will be emphasized. In addition to weekly quizzes and homework, students will
be expected to write a concise report introducing a biophysical problem of
their choice and summarizing the status of its current scientific
understanding.

 

Course Content:

1.     Biology and Numeracy

·        Cells and organisms

·        Molecular strategies

2.     Statistical Thermodynamics and Models

·        Mechanical and chemical equilibrium in the cell

·        Ideal gases, ideal solutions and lattice models

·        The random walk model and protein folding

3.     Enzymes and Signals

·        Thermodynamics and kinetics of ligand binding

·        Allosteric cooperativity and regulatory domains
on a leash

·        Fluctuating enzymes and dynamic cooperativity

·        Error reduction through kinetic proofreading

4.     Cell Shape and Motility

·        Diffusion, flow and chemoreception

·        Why don’t bacteria swim like fish?

·        The dynamic cytoskeleton

·        Molecular motors and diffusion under force

5.     Biological Electricity

·        Electrostatics of solutions

·        Membrane permeability and ion channels

·        Action potential and nerve impulses

6.     Quantum Mechanics in Biology

·        Electron and proton transfer in biomolecules

·        Photosynthesis and respiration

 

Textbooks:

1.     Physical
Biology of the Cell
, Rob Phillips, Jane Kondev, Julie Theriot. Our main
textbook.

2.     Molecular
Driving Forces
, Ken Dill, Sarina Bromberg. Supplementary textbook.

3.     Biological
Physics
, Philip Nelson. Supplementary textbook.

All textbooks are available on library reserve.

 

Evaluation:

·        Weekly Homework:  10
%

·        Weekly Quizzes:        15
%

·        Term Report:             20
%

·        Midterm Exam:          25
%

·        Final Exam:                30
%


 

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