| E 659 Writing and Speaking for Professionals
A practical, tool-oriented approach for professionals who need to perfect writing and speaking skills for career advancement or presentations in graduate courses. Students generate work-related writing/speaking assignments and negotiate learning contracts based on editing, writing and speaking methods related to individual needs and objectives. (See also HU 659.) MG 670 Special Topics in Biotechnology Management
A study of selected issues of particular interest to the students and instructor. May be taken more than once. CH 650 Medicinal Chemistry I
Medicinal chemistry is the investigation, discovery, and development of therapeutic agents. A key concept is the understanding of the relationship between chemical structure and drug activity. It is interdisciplinary in its approach, with the goal of understanding drug action and designing new drugs. Medicinal chemistry incorporates knowledge of a wide scope of disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. This course emphasizes the fundamental principles of medicinal chemistry and surveys major classes of drugs. Prerequisite: one year of undergraduate organic chemistry. Recommended: an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry course. CH 655 Pharmacology
Prerequisites: one year of undergraduate organic chemistry and one term of biochemistry. Recommended: an advanced undergraduate organic chemistry course, at least one graduate course in biochemistry (MB601-MB603), and a graduate course in cell biology (MB607). Pharma- cology is the study of therapeutics, agents administered to achieve a beneficial therapeutic effect on some disease process. This survey course will cover a general overview of pharmacology including principles of pharmacodynamics (mechanism of action of drugs) and pharmacokinetics (the role of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in drug action). The general concepts will be applied to case studies of specific drugs taken from the main classes of therapeutic agents. MB 601 Protein Biochemistry and Enzymology
Prerequisites: undergraduate organic chemistry and biochemistry. This course examines the relationship between protein structure and function. Topics included are properties of amino acids, peptides and proteins, peptide synthesis, protein isolation and sequencing, aspects of
protein folding, protein-protein and receptor-ligand interactions, enzyme kinetics and enzyme
regulation. MB 602 Biochemistry of Bioenergetics
Prerequisites: undergraduate organic chemistry. This course is strongly recommended for students lacking undergraduate biochemistry. Examination of the major anabolic and catabolic pathways and their regulation. Catabolic pathways for the oxidation of hexoses, lipids and amino acids are considered. These processes lead to the formation of a chemiosmotic gradient capable of driving ATP synthesis. Discussion of the anabolic pathways starts with the generation of a similar chemiosmotic gradient by light absorption or other energy releasing pathways leading to production of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and nucleotides. MB 603 Nucleic Acid Biochemistry
Prerequisites: undergraduate organic chemistry and biochemistry. Examines the biochemistry of nucleic acids, their function as genetic information and control over the expression of that information, nucleic acid-protein interactions, oncogenes and carcinogenesis. MB 606 Molecular Genetics/Genomics
Prerequisite: undergraduate molecular biology or biochemistry. The course combines information from the most recent genomic projects with traditional genetic research methods to provide novel understanding of the role of the genome as the blueprint of life. Emphasis is placed on exploring the expression of genes in the context of the activity and function of the whole genome. Topics include genome anatomy, functional genomics, regulation of the activity of genome, genome evolution, poteomics, genome engineering, and computational genomics. MB 607 Cellular Biology
An introduction to cellular structure and function. Examination of the role of biological membranes in cellular activity and forming functional compartments within organelles. The function of other cellular and extracellular structures, such as cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix. Additional topics include receptor structure and function, cellular signalling, differentiation and motility. MB 608 Evaluation of Scientific Literature
Prerequisite: undergraduate genetics or molecular biology or biochemistry. This course will introduce the student to the organization, use, and critical evaluation of scientific information. Print and electronic resources will be explored through lectures, class discussion, and written assignments. Sources evaluated will include basic reference works, journal articles, electronic databases, and the variety of information accessible via the World Wide Web. Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to locate, retrieve, and critically evaluate information sources for further coursework and research. In addition, they will be able to write their own scientific proposals. MB 609 Data Analysis in the Environmental & Biological Sciences
Prerequisites: 9 graduate hours and a previous course in statistics, or permission of instructor. The application of data analysis techniques to environmental and life science data. These include: applied univariate and multivariate statistics as well as geostatistical and non-detect methods. Introduction to computer software for various types of analyses. MB 611 Molecular Biology of Proteins with Laboratory
Prerequisites: MB 601 or undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry. Techniques for working with proteins that are basic to the cell and molecular biologist and extend beyond the understanding of basic protein biochemistry. Course provides a theoretical understanding of methods commonly utilized for protein/peptide analysis. In the laboratory, students will isolate proteins from various tissues or expression systems and analyze them by one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 4 credits; laboratory fee. MB 613 Molecular Biology of Nucleic Acids with Laboratory
Prerequisites: MB 603 or or permission of the instructor. An examination of gene expression and the techniques available for manipulating DNA and RNA. This course utilizes an intense laboratory component to instruct students in the practical and technical aspects of working with nucleic acids. 4 credits; laboratory fee. MB 617 Cell Culture Techniques with Laboratory
Prerequisites: MB 607. An intensive laboratory course designed to provide the student with basic skills and understanding required for mammalian cell and tissue culture and fundamental techniques in cell biology. Topics will include aseptic technique, the culture environment, primary culture, maintenance of cultures, cloning and selection of cell phenotypes, proliferation and apoptosis assays, tumorigenicity assays and experimental design. 4 credit hours. MB 620 Bioinformatics
Prerequisites: MB 606 or permission of instructor. Students will learn how computers and information technology are applied to manage and analyze the vast quantities of data now being collected by researchers and clinicians. Using a combination of theory and hands-on practice, the course will cover biological databases, analysis of nucleotide and protein sequences, sequence polymorphisms, sequence alignment, analysis of DNA microarray data and intermolecular interactions. An introduction to web page development, relational database design and Perl programming will also be covered. MB 622 Database Systems For Biological Research
Prerequisite: Undergraduate molecular biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. This course introduces the student to the design, use, and application of database management systems in biological research. Topics include the relational data model, database design, structured query language and common database architectures typically used in life sciences research. Emphasis is on problems common to bioinformatics, including techniques for handling large quantities of data, integration of multiple data sets and analysis of genetic data.. MB 625 Advanced Bioinformatics
Prerequisite: MB 606 Molecular Genetics/Genomics and MB 620 Bioinformatics and CS 622 Database Systems as corequisite. The aim of this course is to provide students with a detailed overview of the latest computational and scientific developments in Bioinformatics. Students will use a broad set of Bioinformatics software tools and will gain a comprehensive introduction to the theory upon which these tools are based. Students will develop new bioinformatics applications by using real biological data and Perl language. Topics include novel data storage and handling techniques, pattern search techniques through GCG package, development and implementation of new bioinformatics applications using Perl language, analysis biomolecular structures, dynamics and functions, and analysis of novel gene expression methods (DNA microarray technology and serial analysis of gene expression= SAGE). MB 636 Immunology
Study of the immune response in animals including cells and organs of the immune system, immunogens, MHC, cytokines, TCR, antibodies and complement. MB 644 Cellular Development
Prerequisite: MB 607. The course covers control of differentiation and development at the cellular level. Topics include cell cycle control, embryological development, programmed cell death, wound healing and chronic wounds. MB 648 Cytoskeleton and Extracellular Matrix
Prerequisite: MB 607. The cytoskeleton provides cues for patterns of division and the molecular motors needed for cell motility. The extracellular matrix also contains cues for the cells that are differentiating, providing highly localized signals and pathways for cellular migration. This course examines the roles of the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix in cellular movement, differentiation and function. MB 650 Oncogenes and Cytokines
Prerequisite: MB 607. The products of oncogenes induce cancer in animals and transformed phenotypes in cultured cells. Often the products are analogues of cytokines or cytokine receptors. This course examines oncogenes and their role in transformation, cell cycle control and cellular differentiation. MB 656 Receptor Effector Systems
Prerequisite: MB 601 or MB 607. Cellular receptors and their effector systems are responsible for the ability of cells to detect and respond to stimuli. These proteins are of critical importance to the development of drugs to control the function of cells. This course examines the structure of receptors from ion channels to DNA binding proteins, followed by an examination of the signalling pathways that propagate the signal through the cell. Also covered, the design and interpretation of binding studies for receptor ligand interactions. MB 670 Selected Topics
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. An examination of topics of special interest to students and faculty. May be taken more than once. MB 680 Graduate Seminar
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Weekly discussions of current scientific literature and student and faculty research projects. May be taken more than once. 1 credit. MB 688 Internship I
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Laboratory and research experience will be developed under the supervision of an outside researcher. A portion of the internship must be devoted to the completion of a research report. The instructor will monitor the student’s progress through regular meetings and evaluation of the final report. MB 689 Internship II
A continuation of Internship I. MB 690 Research Project
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. An independent research project/program under the supervision of a member of the faculty. MB 695 Independent Study I
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. A planned program of independent study under the supervision of a member of the faculty. MB 696 Independent Study II
A continuation of Independent Study I. MB 698 Thesis I
Prerequisite: 15 graduate hours and permission of coordinator. Supervised preparation of a thesis describing the student’s research. MB 699 Thesis II
A continuation of Thesis I. | 
