CHEM 443L / BIOL 443L - Biochemistry Laboratory

Spring Semester 2007 (updated 4-Jan-2007)

Class meets: Thursdays, 9:30 am - 12:20 pm, in Hughes 112
Instructor: Jeff Cronk [E-mail: cronk@gonzaga.edu]
Office: Hughes 234
Office Hours (Spring 2007): TBA and by appointment
Recommended Texts: Arthur M. Lesk, Introduction to Bioinformatics (2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2005); Fundamental Laboratory Approaches for Biochemistry and Biotechnology Alexander J. Ninfa & David P. Ballou (Fitzgerald Scientific Press, 1998)

Additional Links:

[ Biochemistry dictionary ] [ CHEM 445 ] [ GU home ] [ GU Biology ("Gonzology") ] [ NCBI ] [ Resources ]


Course information

CHEM 443L / BIOL 443L - Biochemistry Laboratory is a one-credit project-based laboratory course, serving as an introduction to basic methods and techniques employed in biochemical research. A range of potential projects are considered, offering students opportunity to develop skills in wet-lab methods and applied computation in biochemistry. Students will learn and apply to a semester-long project appropriate techniques from among heterologous protein overexpression, protein chromatography, gel electrophoresis, quantification of proteins, methods of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - including primer design, spectrophometric methods for enzyme assays and inhibition studies, protein crystallization, database retreival, sequence and structural homology searches, use of proteomics tools and molecular graphics applications. The student projects can carried out individually or in small groups, and each student will be expected to keep a complete up-to-date laboratory notebook and be capable of explaining their project orally any given week in a group-meeting format. Students are expected in many cases to arrange to carry out laboratory work outside of the scheduled weekly lab period. A grade for the class will be based upon ability to conceive, plan, and carry out a project, meeting expectations for reporting throughout the semester, and a final, formal written project report.