2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Life Science and Technology Department of Life Science and Technology Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
Biophysics
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Life Science and Technology
- Instructor(s)
- Eiry Kobatake / Takafumi Ueno / Toshiaki Kamachi / Masayasu Mie / Noriyuki Asakura
- Class Format
- Lecture (Livestream)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Mon / 1-2 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LST.A403
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Apr 1, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Living organisms consist of biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, and complicated biosystems are realized by structural and functional coordination of these biomolecules. To understand biosystems, biophysical characters of biomolecules are important factors. This course will cover the basics of biophysical characters and analysis of biomolecules. Moreover, biophysical characters of artificial proteins and metalloproteins and their applications to medical, cells and bioimaging are explained.
Aims of this course are learning bases and forefront in biophysics, and understanding technological and medical applications of engineered proteins.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Explain design of artificial proteins and its applications
2. Explain functions of metalloproteins and their applications
3. Understand and explain physical chemistry of proteins
Keywords
biophysics, artificial proteins, biosensing, control of cellular functions, molecular tool, metalloproteins, imaging, thermodynamics, kinetics
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
This course is lectured by five professors. Researches in the field of biophysics are summarized from basic level to advanced level along with current topics.
In order to help understandings of Japanese students, there are cases in which commentaries are added partly in Japanese.
This class will be conducted by using Zoom system.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Research field of biophysics | Students must be able to explain the research field of biophysics and outline of this course. |
| Class 2 | Applications of artificial proteins to biosensing systems | Students must be able to explain the construction and application of genetically engineered proteins for biosensing. |
| Class 3 | Design of artificial metalloproteins | Students must be able to explain the design and functionalization of artificial metalloproteins. |
| Class 4 | Model study of metalloproteins | Students must be able to explain the basic design for modeling metalloproteins. |
| Class 5 | Inorganic and metal compounds in biotechnology and medical researches | Students must be able to explain the applications of inorganic compounds for cellular and medical researches. |
| Class 6 | Oxygen concentration imaging in a single cell | Students must be able to explain the theory of oxygen concentration imaging within a single cell. |
| Class 7 | Light energy transduction | Students must be able to explain the theory and application of light energy transduction. |
| Class 8 | Structure and function of metalloenzymes | Students must be able to explain the structure and function of metalloenzymes. |
| Class 9 | Regulation of cellular functions by genetically engineered proteins | Students must be able to explain the design and application of genetically enginerred proteins for regulation of cellular functions. |
| Class 10 | Development of molecular tools constructed with genetically engineered proteins | Students must be able to explain the design of molecular tools consisting of genetically enginerred proteins. |
| Class 11 | Application of molecular tools constructed with genetically enginerred proteins | Students must be able to explain the application of molecluar tools constructed with genetically enginerred proteins. |
| Class 12 | Thermodynamics of protein solution | Students must be able to explain behavior of protein molecule in solution base on mixing entropy. |
| Class 13 | Thermodynamics of diffusion process | Students must be able to compute the diffusion equation. |
| Class 14 | Kinetics of intermolecular interaction between proteins | Students must be able to explain relation of an intermolecula interaction and reaction rate. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Handouts will be destributed when necessary.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Learning achievement is evaluated by reports.
Related courses
- Non
Prerequisites
None