Course info

Biomedicine is a challenging multidisciplinary science lying on the edge of Biology, Medicine, and Chemistry. Biomedical research produces tangible results such as novel drugs, decoding of illness mechanisms, and decryption of complex physiological processes. Knowledge of protein structures and dynamics is at the core of modern biomedical research, and Structural Bioinformatics offers cutting-edge techniques to utilize 3D protein structures.

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 carried 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 quiz 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 6-9 – Project work, presentation & peer-review 

Week 10 – Course evaluation 

Modes of study: 

Online video lectures, videos and written material for theory, self-correcting quizzes, online computer exercises, project work with a 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 (35%), exercise-based assignments (25%), and the final project work and presentation with an approved peer-review task (40%). 

Timetable: Autumn 2023, 10 weeks

Course enrolment deadline is September 4th, 2023: 1) enrolment 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 log in to Åbo Akademi University Peppi is available in DigiCampus Moodle.