Lipid diversity, lipid aggregates, dynamics and phase behavior of lipid aggregates, permeabilities of model and cellular bilayers, manipulation and quantitation of ionic and pH gradients, related special topics in physiology such as the mechanisms of anesthesia.

Rational design of protein structure, activity, and stability. Current methods and applications of protein engineering including protein evolution, unnatural amino acids, and combinatorial methods.

Practical theory and application of basic biochemical techniques. Topics include SDS-PAGE, buffers, centrifugation, antibody methods, spectroscopy and fluorescence techniques. 

Chemical mechanisms of enzyme catalysis. Enzyme models and non-classical enzymes. Theory, experimental design, and data analysis.

Introduces students to seminal experiments that introduced pioneering biological engineering methods and experimental analysis. Students will learn the principles of sound experimental design to test a hypothesis, become familiar with techniques using bacterial and stem cell model systems, as well as imaging and analysis methods.

Single-crystal macromolecular crystallography methods; crystal growth, geometric and physical basis of diffraction, approaches to phasing and refinement. Xray and neutron solution scattering.

Molecular genetics and gene regulation. Experimental design and approaches, and a focus on critical thinking and problem solving, will reveal how fundamental, highly significant biological problems are unraveled using molecular genetic strategies. Reading will be assigned from a mix of classic and current peer-reviewed papers.

Fluorescence live imaging is a powerful tool to study dynamics of living matter. This course provides an overview on geometric & Fourier optics, bright field microscopy, and fluorescence & absorption spectroscopy. Practicing these concepts students will construct a light-sheet microscope.

Structure and function of the eucaryotic cytoskeleton. Structure assembly and function of microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments.

Introduces students to molecular components of biology and application of engineering principles for their analysis. Topics include: molecular components of cells; DNA structure and function, including replication; gene regulation; protein structure, function, and folding; chemical kinetics; signal transduction and mathematical descriptions thereof; and mechanics of biomolecules and subcellular structures (membranes, cytoskeleton).

This course introduces students to tissue and organism- level organization with application of engineering principles for analysis. Topics include: cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and central nervous systems, structural components of organisms (bones and muscles), immune system, and of pharmacology.

Continuation of 222A. Interparticle interactions, coagulation, DLVO theory, steric interactions, polymer- coated surfaces, polymers in solution, thin film viscosity. Surfactant and lipid self-assembly: micelles,microemulsions. Surfactants on surfaces: langmuir- blodgett films, adsorption, adhesion, friction. Biomolecular self-assembly, biological systems.

This hands-on research course will integrate investigation of diverse biological phenomena in the lab with quantitative analysis of hypotheses related to the function of living systems. Analysis across different length scales and levels of complexity invokes a synergistic combination of tool building, quantitative data acquisition, complementary theoretical model building. Students will work in subgroups on modules developed by different BMSE faculty to illustrate current research topic in Quantitative Biology.

Discussion topics relevant to structure-function relationships in proteins including the chemical reactivity of amino acid side chains, posttranslational modifications, and the covalent and noncovalent interactions of multimeric structures. Case studies involve recent advances in structure-function relationships of mechanoproteins.

Designed for majors. Quarters usually offered: Winter, Spring, Fall. Designed for graduate students with a bioengineering emphasis

Seminar series where students present their original thesis research and also review journal articles that critically analyze contemporary bioengineering research. Three quarters of ENGR 230 are required for the optional BioE graduate emphasis. Presentations will be evaluated and feedback provided.

The mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens cause disease. Investigation of the bacterial gene products produced during infection to understand the metabolic, physiological, and genetic factors that contribute to the virulence of bacterial pathogens.

Introduction to the structure and function of cell organelles: membranes, nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, lysosomes, microbodies, microtubules, cilia, centrioles, and microfilaments.

Exploration of the mechanisms by which microbes and their eukaryotic hosts interact at the cellular and molecular levels. Focus is on experimental strategies to investigate these interactions and primary literature is discussed.

Introduction to the structures and roles of lipids and their behavior, lipsomes, membrane proteins and kinetics, protein sorting, and signal transduction.

Course introduces fundamental concepts in molecular and cellular biomechanics. Will consider the role of physical, thermal and chemical forces, examine their influence on cell strength and elasticity, and explore the properties of enzymatically-active materials.

Introduces fundamental concepts in biostatistics such as sources of technical and biological variation, types of statistical tests (ANOVA, non-parametric, linear regression), sampling techniques, power calculations, and how to decide which test is appropriate.

An introduction to the principles of tissue engineering: interplay and design of cells, biomaterials, and bioactive molecules to assist the body in the repair of damaged tissues. This includes concepts such as examining material fabrication approaches, engineering cells and their behavior, studying tissue microenvironments from diverse organ systems, the role of the extracellular matrix in repair, in vitro approaches to tissue engineering, and delivery of bioactive molecules (growth factors, extracellular vesicles, etc.), among others. By the end of this course, students will be able to design and evaluate tissue engineered constructs to repair a specific organ system.

An overview of various aspects of bioengineering including modeling of physiological functions, biomedical devices, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Rational and structure-based drug design; pharmacogenetics; combinatorial chemistry and screens; mechanism-based drug design; drug metabolism; toxicity; quantitative structure activity relationships; enzyme inhibitors.

Course varies from year to year according to the currents of the times.

Selected topics from bio-organic, biophysical, or biological chemistry. The content of this course will vary.

Research presentations by advanced Ph.D. students on research progress in BMSE & MCDB.

Medicinal chemistry for lead optimization, combinatorial synthesis, quantitative structure-activity relationships, pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and toxicity, pharmacogenomics. Drugs that interact with DNA and Protein drugs. Clinical trials, intellectual property in drug design. Students develop their own drug design project.

A weekly seminar discussion group to review, in advance, relevant literature of participating BMSE seminar guests.

Structure, phase behavior, and phase transitions in complex fluids. Characterization techniques including x-ray and neutron scattering, and light and microscopy methods. Systems include colloidal and surfactant dispersions (e.g., polyballs, microemulsions, and micells), polymeric solutions and biomolecular materials (e.g., lyotropic liquid crystals).

Survey of classes of biomolecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids). Structure and function of molecular machines (enzymes for biosynthesis, motors, pumps).

Presentation and discussion of current research, to be selected from the following list: A. Biomolecular Materials Synthesis; B. Biomineralization; BP. Bacterial Pathogenesis; CE. C. elegans Development; DN. Developmental Neurobiology; HW. Marine Structural Proteins; PM. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions; PR. Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions; S. Molecular Virology and Interferon Action.

This is the second in a set of advanced courses in ecology and evolution, and includes modules on the origins of diversity, species interactions and coexistence, the causes and consequences of food-web complexity, and ecosystem level processes.

A critical review of research in selected areas of biochemistry-molecular biology.

Individual tutorial. Instructor is usually the student's major research advisor. Each faculty member has a unique number designation.