Postgraduate  Certificate  in  Protein  Crystallography  on  the  Web  17/18  Department of Biological Sciences, Crystallography,  Birkbeck College,  University of London

Aims

For proper understanding of biological function a detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules and their interactions with ligands and the aqueous environment is required. Protein crystallography (or structural molecular biology) is powerful in that it can identify the residues determining substrate specificity and interactions with other macromolecules at the atomic level, allowing the targeting of site-directed mutagenesis experiments and the design of selective inhibitors, so important in industry. Protein crystallography is no longer solely the domain of the mathematician and physicist, but that of the biologically orientated scientist. It is now a very multidisciplinary technique which has overlap with biochemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biophysics and organic chemistry. The web course is therefore ideally suited for students of these disciplines who want to know in more detail (mainly non-mathematical) how structures are determined, how the quality of coordinates should be judged, and how crystallographic papers should be assessed. It will also appeal to those who envisage a further career in this exciting and rapidly expanding field, especially also in the pharmaceutical industry.

Course Organisation and Objectives

The Postgraduate Certificate in Protein Crystallography on the Web, is a tutor-assisted, university-level, accredited course, hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences, Crystallography, Birkbeck College. Successful students receive the award of an Institution Certificate.

The course consists of 3 units taught annually. All teaching material will be delivered on the Internet.

Section 1:  Fundamentals of Protein Structure and X-Ray Crystallography

This unit has as general objectives