2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Materials Science and Engineering Graduate major in Materials Science and Engineering
Advanced Organic Functional Biochemistry
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Materials Science and Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Undecided
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- MAT.P427
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2026
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 5, 2026
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course will cover structures and functions of biomolecules based on fundamental concept of organic chemistry. Topic will include some new applications of nucleotide materials and the basics of genetic engineering that is the core of biotechnology.
The aims of this course are to learn the basics of biochemistry including amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, sugars, and lipids, and their structures and functions, and to further understand material science and biotechnology in a context close to actual research practice.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand fundamental concepts of organic chemistry, outline the characteristics of major biomolecules in living systems, and explain the overall framework of the course from the perspective of structure–function relationships.
2. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding structures and functions of aliphatic acids and lipids.
3. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding structures and functions of sugars and polysaccharides.
4. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding structures and functions of amino acids, peptides, and proteins.
5. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding structures and functions of nucleic acids.
6. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding genetic engineering and applications of nucleic acids.
7. Understand and explain basic knowledge regarding polymer materials, especially biopolymers.
Keywords
basic organic chemistry, basic biochemistry, lipid, polysaccharide, peptide, protein, nucleic acid, genetic engineering, material science, biopolymer
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
When necessary, at the beginning of a lecture, a summary of the previous lecture is given, followed by the main points of the day’s lecture.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Overview of the Course and Fundamental Concepts of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Provide an overview of the structures and functions of biomolecules that constitute living systems based on fundamental concepts of organic chemistry, and explain the objectives and overall framework of the course. |
| Class 2 | Cells and Their Chemical Compounds |
Students must be able to explain size and components of cells, intracellular molecules, and chemical bonds. |
| Class 3 | Structures and Functions of Biomacromolecules |
Students must be able to explain structures and functions of biomacromolecules including lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids. |
| Class 4 | Enzymatic Reactions and Genetic Engineering/Nucleic Acid Materials |
Students must be able to explain enzyme reactions, gene and protein expression, and the utilization of nucleic acids as materials. |
| Class 5 | Environmental Problems and Biopolymers |
Students must be able to explain global warming, marine plastic pollution, and biopolymers as a solution. |
| Class 6 | Synthesis and Structures of Biopolymers (Focus on PHAs) |
Students must be able to explain metabolic pathway, key enzymes, monomer composition control, and physical properties of microbial polyester (PHAs). |
| Class 7 | Biodegradation Mechanism of Biopolymers |
Students must be able to explain environmental biodegradation processes, characteristics of biopolymer-degrading bacteria and their enzymes, and analytical methods using QCM and other techniques. |
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.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Handout distribution
Evaluation methods and criteria
The grade is mainly evaluated by the results of the report.
Related courses
- None
Prerequisites
None