- Docente: Michele Di Foggia
- Credits: 1
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Single cycle degree programme (LMCU) in Medicine and Surgery (cod. 9210)
Learning outcomes
Describe the principal biochemical techniques and their applications in medicine.
Course contents
The course will be divided into 8 hours of lectures in class and 9 hours in laboratory.
The topics of the lectures will be the following:
- Protein structure:
- Hemoglobin and Myoglobin
- pH and buffers
- Analytical techniques widely used in biochemistry
- Spectrophotometry
- Liquid Chrmoatography
- Mass spectrometry
- Structural techniques (XRD, NMR, SEM)
- Typical Biochemical techniques
- Western Blotting
- Electrophoresis
- Ultracentrifugation
Three different laboratory experiments will be conducted:
- a computer-based simulation on protein structure and enzymatic catalysis (computer classroom "Bertoluzza", via Belmeloro 8/2)
- chemical laboratory on acid-base titrations and buffer preparation (Biotechnology Laboratory, General Pathology Building, via San Giacomo 14).
- use of a UV-vis spectrophotometer to measure the protein content in biological samples (Biotechnology Laboratory, General Pathology Building, via San Giacomo 14).
Readings/Bibliography
PowerPoint presentations integrated by personal notes can give a useful outline of the course.
Students can refer to the textbooks suggested for the Chemistry and General Biochemistry lessons.
Teaching methods
Traditional lecture-based teaching based on Power Point presentations (8 hours).
Laboratory experiences (9 hours): computer-based simulations on protein structure and chemistry laboratory experiences on pH and buffers and spectrophotometric techniques.
Attendance to learning activities is mandatory; the minimum attendance requirement to be admitted to the final exam is 66% of lessons. This teaching is a part of the Chemistry and Bichemistry Integrated Course (IC), therefore the 66% attendance requirement refers to the total amount of IC lessons. Students who fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement will not be admitted to the final exam of the course, and will have to attend relevant classes again during the next academic year.
Professors may authorise excused absences upon receipt of proper justifying documentation, in case of illness or serious reasons. Excused absences do not count against a student’s attendance record to determine their minimum attendance requirement.
Assessment methods
The students are requested to complete the calculations connected with the titration of phosphoric acid and the spectrophotometric analysis of protein content.
Teaching tools
All the lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations, downloadable from iol.unibo.it before the beginning of each lecture.
Office hours
See the website of Michele Di Foggia