Course syllabus for Chemical Biology

Kemisk biologi

Specific entry requirements

At least the grade Pass (G) on the course Introduction to Biomedical Science, at least grade Pass (G) on the part Organic-chemical laboratory work, (5 credits), in the course General and Organic Chemistry, and the part Laboratory practicals (4 credits) of the course Cell-, stem cell and developmental biology, at the Bachelor's programme in Biomedicine

Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding:

• describe structures of biological macromolecules and explain at a basic level the most commonly occurring methods for determination and analysis of the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules,
• explain biophysical and chemical methods that are used to study the regulation and function of biomolecules,
• account for how chemical biology methods are used within biomedical research and pre-clinical drug discovery,
• discuss the use of chemical biology in biomedical research and pre-clinical drug discovery,

Regarding competence and skills:

• carry out and orally present chemical biology projects,
• perform basic chemical biology laboratory work safely and according to instructions,
• describe and analyse their own chemical biology laboratory work,
• analyse macromolecular structures,

Regarding judgement and approach:

• follow scientific ethical guidelines when documenting data and results,
• assess, evaluate and choose appropriate methods for basic chemical biology experiments.

Content

The course content is oriented towards chemical biology aspects of pre-clinical drug discovery as well as towards study of biological systems.

The course is divided into the following 2 parts:

Chemical biology project work and laboratory work, 4.0 credits

Grading scale: GU
Cover a chemical biology topic from different perspectives. Oral presentation of findings.

Commonly used methods in chemical biology laboratory work and computational data analysis. Written lab reports.

Integration of theory and practice, 4.0 credits

Grading scale: VU
Integration of theory and practice of chemical biology.

Teaching methods

The teaching includes lectures, laboratory sessions, computer laboratory sessions, group tuition (seminars) and project work. An emphasis is placed on problem-solving.

Examination

Part 1. Chemical biology project work and laboratory work (4 credits). The examination consists of oral presentation of the project work. Graded Fail/Pass. The examination of the laboratory work consists of written lab reports. Graded Fail/Pass/Pass with distinction.

Part 2. Integration of theory and practice (4 credits). The examination consists of a written exam covering the entire contents of the course. Graded Fail/Pass/Pass with distinction.

To pass the whole course the grade of at least pass must have been obtained for all parts of the course. To obtain a final grade of "Pass with distinction", a grade of "Pass with distinction" must be obtained for both the part "Integration of theory and practice" and the laboratory element of the part "Chemical biology project work and laboratory work".

Students that fail to submit compulsory assignments by the deadlines will lose the opportunity to be graded with pass with distinction on the course.

Compulsory participation
Laboratory sessions are compulsory, as well as other teaching occasions linked to these parts. Participation in regular project work discussions is compulsory. The examiner assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulsory components can be compensated. The student must participate in all compulsory parts or compensate for absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, in order to pass the course. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in the student not being able to compensate the absence until the next time the course is given.

Limitation of number of examinations or practical training sessions
A student who does not pass an examination at their first attempt is entitled to participate in five additional examination sessions. If the student does not pass after four examinations, he/she is recommended to retake the course at the next regular course occasion, and may, after that, participate in two more examination sessions. If the student has failed six examinations, no additional examination sessions are provided.

Physically attending or otherwise commencing an examination is regarded as an examination session. Handing in a blank exam is considered taking part in an examination session. An examination, for which the student registered but did not participate, is not counted as an examination session.

Adaption of examination
If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Other directives

The course language is English.

Course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.

Oral evaluation in the form of course council meetings will be carried out during the course.