0 or 2 credits
Spring 2026 Laboratory Preparation Laboratory Upper Division
Modern biochemical techniques for the purification and characterization of biological proteins. This is a project-oriented course where students begin by purifying a recombinant enzyme by affinity chromatography and then characterize various biochemical properties of the enzyme throughout the semester. Emphasis will be placed on quantitative analyses, including measurements of enzyme activity and inhibition, molecular interactions, and oligomeric state. Students will learn basic principles of designing assays to measure biochemical phenomena. Use of bioinformatics and computational modeling tools for protein structure analysis will be integrated. The course will culminate with preparation of a manuscript-style report describing the enzyme characterization.
Learning Outcomes1Understand the molecular principles of life based on the core disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
2Skilled laboratory scientists performing a wide variety of biochemical and molecular techniques.
3Understand the scientific method. Understand the concepts and importance of hypotheses, experimental design to test hypotheses, and data analysis in the creation of new knowledge.
4Acquire information literacy: the ability to locate, evaluate, and utilize information in the disciplines of biochemistry and molecular biology that is required for research, data analysis, and communication.
5Communicate scientific knowledge, experiments and conclusions effectively as writers.
6Understand the contributions of our discipline to society, including improvements to medicine, agriculture, the economy and the environment.
Prerequisites
made by Purdue students.