Headache!!!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
How to choose 5 out of 7? tough Decisions. Undecisive!!!BS404 Current Topics in Biochemistry
Coordinator : Dr Liang Zhao-Xun
Course description: This course is designed to be an intensive study of the important concepts and current research topics in modern Biochemistry. Starting from the review of the basic physical and chemical principles in the field of Biochemistry, we will apply these principles to understand complex biological macromolecules and solve important biochemical problems. The first half of the course will be devoted to the study of proteins, and the second half will deal with RNA, DNA, inhibitor design in drug discovery as well as two important techniques (MS and NMR) in biochemistry research.
Presentations: Current topics from journal articles will be assigned to students to present to the class. The goal is to train the students to learn how to read and analyze primary literature in the field. Details of the presentation will be decided upon the number of students enrolled in the class. Grading of these presentations will be based on the clarity of the presentation, correctness, your ability to answer questions from your instructor and classmates, and your participation in the discussion.
Topics:
1) Introduction: Biochemistry in the 21st century
2) Review the principles in biochemistry
3) Enzyme catalysis and regulation
4) Antibiotic biosynthesis and resistance
5) Fatty acid synthase (FAS) and drug discovery
6) Polyketide synthase (PKS) and combinatorial biosynthesis
7) Metalloproteins
8) Protein-ligand interaction and protein sensors
9) Protein-DNA interaction: Methylation of DNA and Histone
10) The new paradigm of microRNA and interference RNA
11) Modern NMR techniques in study of biological macromolecules
12) Modern mass spectrometry in Biochemistry
13) Protein design and engineering
14) Drug discovery and inhibitor design
BS 405 Current Topics in Neurobiology
Coordinator : Adjunct Professor Fulton Wong
Course description: Many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases exhibit axonal and dendritic atrophies. An important issue that needs to be addressed is whether these neuritic atrophies precede neuronal death, or they are a secondary consequence of neurodegeneration. This course covers the background
knowledge in neural signaling and synapses and examines the evidence leading to the current view that “as long as axon or dendrite degeneration occurs prior to neuronal death, these neuritic atrophies should contribute significantly to the clinical symptoms whether they are the primary causes of neuronal death”.
Topics:
1) Neural signaling: electrical potentials across nerve cell membranes, ionic basis of nerve excitation, molecular basis of neural signaling, sensory transduction, synaptic transmission.
2) Construction of neural circuits, plasticity and remodeling: axon guidance, mechanisms of synaptogenesis, synapse and axon elimination during development, short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity.
3) Changes in neuronal connections in disease: axon retraction and degeneration in disease, synaptic rewiring in neurodegeneration.
BS406 Current Topics in Cell Biology
Coordinator : Dr Li Hoi Yeung
Course description: The course is comprised of a series of lectures based on the latest research discoveries in different areas of cell biology and students’ presentations of recent papers selected from the leading journals of cell biology. The overall objectives of the course are to introduce students to current research topics in cell biology and to enhance their abilities in the appraisal and presentation of scientific materials.
Topics:
1) Formation of the mitotic chromosomes
2) The nuclear transport and the nuclear pores formation
3) Centrosome duplication and biopolar spindle formation
4) PIDD mediates NF-kB Activation in response to DNA Damage
5) Cyld inhibits tumor cell proliferation by blocking Bcl-3-dependent NF-kB signaling
6) The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Itch Couples JNK activation to TNFa-induced cell death by inducing c-FLIP Turnover
7) A cell-surface receptor for lipocalin 24p3 selectively mediates apoptosis and iron uptake
8) The Evi5 Oncogene regulates cyclin accumulation by stabilizing the anaphase promoting complex inhibitor Emi 1
9) Microtubule-induced Pins/GaI cortical polarity in Drosophila neuroblasts
10) A class of membrane proteins shaping the tubular endoplasmic reticulum
11) Genomic instability and aging-like phenotype in the absence of mammalian SIRT6
12) GFP and its applications in cell biology research
BS 407 Current Topics in Genetics
Coordinator : Dr Zbynek Bozdech
Topics:
1) Genetic diseases: Research progress from positional cloning of human genetic disorders to gene identification using human genome information
2) Single nucleotide polymorphisms and population genetics:
Research, investigating general distribution of SNPs in the human
population and their mapping capacity for human genetics traits.
3) Model organisms in genetics research I:
Summary of research involving Caenorhabditis elegans , Drosophila melanogaster and zebrafish (Danio rerio) in mapping of
genetic traits.
4) Model organisms in genetics research II:
Mouse genetics from reverse genetics to transgenic mice.
5) Human genome: The process of sequencing, assembly and annotation of human genome; content of the human genome including protein coding genes and repetitive sequences, their structure and evolution.
6) Microbial genomes:
Structure and content of microbial genomes from model organisms to pathogens
7) Genetics of infection disease:
Genetic variation of host pathogen interactions involving immune
response of the host and drug resistance and antigenic variation of
microbial pathogens; main focus HIV, tuberculosis, malaria.
8) Chemogenomics: Genetics and genomics in drug discovery, and drug response; introduction of the concept of personalized medicine.
9) Epigenetics: Genetic imprinting: molecular mechanisms, methods of analyses and global characteristics in mammalian organisms
10) High throughput genomics and proteomics:
Principle and applications of genome-wide functional genomics and
proteomics in various studies of biological concepts such as gene
expression and splicing in human cells with special focus on cancer
research.
BS408 Current Topics in Immunology
Coordinator : Dr Tan Suet Mien
Course description: Selected topics in immunology will be covered in greater depth.
This course requires students to perform literature searches and reading of original
publications and review articles on selected areas in immunology.
Topics:
1) Immunogenetics
2) The protein chemistry of complement
3) The role and regulation of phosphatases and kinases immune response
4) The molecular basis of leukocyte adhesion and migration
5) The cytokines and chemokines
6) Evasion of host immune response by pathogens PART I
7) Evasion of host immune response by pathogens PART II
8) The molecular basis of inflammation
9) The immune scavengers
10) Transplantation immunology and tumour immunity
11) Presentations
12) Tests
BS409 Current Topics in Structural Biology
Coordinator : Dr Curt Davey
Course description: to acquire an in-depth understanding of the three-dimensional atomic structure of biological macromolecules and the relationship between the conformation of proteins and nucleic acids with the biological activities of binding, transport, signaling, and catalysis.
Recent years have witnessed extraordinary advances in the atomic-level structural characterization of macromolecules with increasing size and complexity. At the same time, considerable progress has been made at improving the level of accuracy and detail with which macromolecular structures can be determined experimentally. In this regard, the current state of knowledge enables one to construct an illuminating portrayal of the relationships between biological function and protein/nucleic acid structure. We will cover recent breakthroughs in the structural elucidation of macromolecular assemblies, catalytic machines, and membrane proteins. Emphasis will be placed on key approaches and how structural information can be combined with diverse array of experimental techniques and theoretical disciplines to address some of
the most challenging and timely biological issues.
Topics:
1) Overview of topics and molecular graphics program
2) Membrane pores & molecular selectivity
3) Ion channels & molecular discrimination
4) Membrane proteins & signal transduction
5) Protein-‘protein’ recognition & cell signaling
6) Membrane-associated & other hot enzymes (‘Memzymes’)
7) DNA form & flexibility
8) RNA form & function
9) The Ribosome- World’s greatest translator
10) Chromatin- Nucleosomes & DNA packaging
11) Gene regulation: Protein-DNA recognition
12) Transcription & RNA Polymerase II
13) Genetic recombination
BS411 Current Topics in Virology / Microbiology
Coordinator : Associate Professor Julien Lescar
Course description: This module will cover current and advanced topics in the field of Virology and Microbiology. Lectures will present recent advances in Structural and Molecular Virology. A large part will be devoted to RNA viruses including coronaviruses (SARS-CoV), flaviviruses (dengue, yellow fever), orthomixoviruses (influenza virus),
retroviruses (HIV) and paramyxoviruses (measles, mumps, respiratory syncitial virus). The practical problems of how to translate these advances in basic Virology into new therapeutic agents (drugs and vaccines) will also be briefly covered. Topics will also include the study of some viruses that cause cancers (“oncogenic viruses, eg: papillomaviruses). Lectures in microbiology will present advances in parasitology (malaria) and the general problem of bacterial adhesion. The module is composed of a plenary lecture introducing a subject. This is followed by a session of discussion/analysis of recent relevant research work as found in the recent literature. The students are expected to take an active part during the discussion/presentation session.
Topics:
1) Viral Protein structure 1
2) Viral Protein structure 2
3) Paramyxo/Orthomyxovirus1
4) Paramyxo/Orthomyxovirus2
5) Viral structure/Therapeutics
6) Therapeutic strategies 1
7) Coronaviruses
8) Flaviviridae
9) Microbiology/Biofilms
10) Parasitology/ Malaria
11) Papillomavirus 1
12) Papillomaviruses 2
BS412 Drug Discovery and Development / Biotechnology
Coordinator : Associate Professor Liu Chuan Fa
Topics:
1) Drugs that have changed our way of life
2) Drug discovery/biotechnology: an overview
History of drugs. Drug discovery processes. Medicinal chemistry: definitions and objectives, the three phases of drug action, drug and disease classifications;
Measurement of drug effects.
3) Drug target identification and drug lead discovery
Molecular mechanisms of drug action; Drug target identification and validation. Natural world and synthetic chemistry as the sources for drug lead discovery; Solid phase synthesis.
4) Lead optimization (I)
Combinatorial chemistry; Drug-like behaviors; Identification of pharmacophore; Stereochemical aspects of drug design; Local manipulation on lead compounds.
5) Lead optimization (II). Exploration of structure-activity relationships
Design logics for lead optimization; Physicochemical properties and drug activity; Quantitative structure-activity relationships.
6) Pharmacokinetics (I)
Biological and mathematical basis of pharmacokinetics; Drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.
7) Pharmacokinetics (II). Drug Toxicology
Drug biotransformation reactions; chemical mechanisms of drug toxicity.
8) Pharmaceutics
Pharmaceutical formulation; drug dosage forms; prodrugs and prodrug design.
9) Drug design through enzyme inhibition
Characteristics of enzymatic reactions; reversible enzyme inhibitors; irreversible enzyme inhibitors; competitive and non-competitive inhibitors; Drug resistance.
10) Drugs targeting DNA/RNA. Receptors and drug action.
DNA-targeting agents: non-covalent binders, covalent modifiers and strand breakers as anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents; RNA-targeting agents: Antisense and RNAi technologies, anti-rRNA antibiotics.
Drugs targeting different receptor types: membrane bound receptors and intracellular receptors.
11) Pharmaceutical biotechnology (I)
Peptide and proteins as therapeutic modalities: delivery and pharmacokinetics,
manufacturing, and selected examples of peptide/protein drugs.
12) Pharmaceutical biotechnology (II) – Methods for peptide/protein drug discovery
Emerging enabling technologies for peptide/protein drug discovery and development.
Rational approaches - Biosynthetic protein mutagenesis and protein medicinal chemistry; Irrational approaches – Biological display libraries (phage display, mRNA display and ribosome display).
