An approach for incorporating preliminary drug discovery research into a biochemistry laboratory is described. During a total of 42 hr (one 3-hr laboratory section a week for 14 weeks), students were exposed to bioinformatics; molecular cloning; protein expression, purification, and characterization; and enzymatic kinetic assays. This…

Structure--activity relationships are foundational concepts in biochemistry and drug design. Despite their importance, it can be difficult to create and execute laboratory activities that allow students to directly observe the interactions between small-molecule drugs and their biomolecular targets. Here, we report an activity that investigates…

The goal of this laboratory exercise is to give upper-level undergraduate students an introduction to sterile technique in mammalian cell culture and metabolism. The experiment can be completed within a 3-h lab period and can be performed either in conjunction with other biochemistry/metabolism experiments or used as a stand-alone experiment. In…

Project-Enhanced learning is an excellent way to facilitate student-centered learning along with traditional lecture-based learning. In this Class and Home problem, an example of Project-Enhanced learning is provided that can be used in the Mass and Energy Balances (MEB) course. The students solve this problem as part of a group while receiving…

While science students are well prepared for careers in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences in terms of technical expertise and critical thinking, they rarely have an opportunity to practice the due diligence required for success in industry in their coursework. This includes framing their expertise as solutions to challenges a company may…

Drug design and development requires collaboration among scientists with diverse expertise. In early-stage drug design, establishment of promising drug candidates requires integration of structure-based molecular design with biopharmaceutics and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) principles. Much of this work is…

Biocatalysis is a fundamental concept in biotechnology. The topic integrates knowledge of several disciplines; therefore, it was included in the course "design and optimization of biological systems" which is offered in the biochemistry curricula. We selected the ciliate tetrahymena as an example of a eukaryotic system with potential for…

A laboratory sequence is described that is suitable for upper-level biochemistry or molecular biology laboratories that combines project-based and traditional laboratory experiments. In the project-based sequence, the individual laboratory experiments are thematically linked and aim to show how a bacterial antibiotic sensing noncoding RNA (the…

This e-book is a collection of educational projects completed by the alumni of National Teacher Training Centre (NTTC), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) and was published by the Alumni Association of NTTC, JIPMER in association with the Dept. of Medical education, JIPMER. The main objective of this…

Problem-based learning (PBL) can be described as a learning environment where the problem drives the learning. This technique usually involves learning in small groups, which are supervised by tutors. It is becoming evident that PBL in a small-group setting has a robust positive effect on student learning and skills, including better…

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are a family of heme-containing proteins located throughout the body with roles in metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Among exogenous compounds, clinically relevant pharmaceutical agents are nearly all metabolized by P450 enzymes. However, the activity of the different cytochrome P450 enzymes varies among…