Course info

Structural Bioinformatics in Biomedicine 5 ECTS

Åbo Akademi University

Entry requirements and target group:

• Basic knowledge in biosciences (120 sp of BSc studies)
• 3rd year BSc students, MSc students, and PhD students
• Prerequisite exam
  

Learning outcomes:

The course provides the student with good knowledge on how the properties of 3D macromolecular structures are explored and interpreted to understand the function and activities carry out by proteins utilized in biomedical research.

After the course students:

• know the basics of how to use and interpret 3D macromolecular structures for biomedical research
• are aware of critical aspects to be considered in drug development
• know how to explore the molecular features that enable protein function
• are able to critically utilize scientific literature on protein structures
• know how to visualize and present protein structures and results related to structural studies

Contents:  
This course covers the following topics:

Week 0 - Module 0: Protein structure, databases and 3D visualization
Prerequisite material and exam available two weeks before the course start
Week 1 – Module 1: Targets and drug design
Week 2 – Module 2: Off-target effects
Week 3 – Module 3: Species-specific features
Week 4 – Module 4: Genetic variation
Week 5 – Module 5: Protein therapeutics
Week 6 – Project work and presentation
Week 7 – Peer review and evaluation

Modes of study:

Online video-lectures, videos and written material for theory, self-correcting quizzes, online computer exercises, project work with report in poster format and online oral presentation, peer-review of project work

Teaching language: English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria: Grade (1-5) consists of approved Self-correcting quizzes (25%), assignments (35%), and Final project report (40%). Approved peer-review task. 

Timetable: Autumn 2021, 8 weeks

Course enrollment deadline September 5^th, 2021: 1) enrollment in DigiCampus.fi and (2) registration in Åbo Akademi University Peppi  (http://student.abo.fi/). More information about the registration process for students who cannot login Åbo Akademi University Peppi is available in DigiCampus Moodle.