Methods in biochemical investigation

The study of proteins through protein biochemistry encompasses many fields of biology, including structural and molecular biology, enzymology, pharmaceutical research and development, food science, plant biology, and more. The course aims to provide students with a thorough overview (theoretical and practical) of the most important and recent methods applied to enzymology (focusing on the central theme of enzymes) and to structural biology (i.e. X-ray crystallography, single-molecule Cryo-electron microscopy), focusing in particular on the scientific questions that such techniques can help answer.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a good understanding of the experimental strategies applied in biological chemistry, in particular regarding protein enzymology and structural biology. Moreover, students will have acquired the ability to correlate the theoretical and experimental connections among the taught disciplines and understand their relevance to biochemical developments.