B. Tech Biosciences and Bioengineering

BT 301 Biophysics 2-1-0-6

Syllabus: Molecular potentials: bonding, nonbonding; Water as a solvent: unusual physical properties, hydrogen bonding, ionization, and concept of pH; Structures of bio-macromolecules: proteins, polynucleotides, and carbohydrates. Introduction to thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and kinetics: principles of probability, introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, random walk, diffusion, polymer conformation, chemical kinetics: energy, entropy, rate theory. Methods in molecular biophysics: UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, and mass spectrometry. Protein folding, unfolding, misfolding, and aggregation: Introduction to the protein folding problem, Anfinsen's experiment, Levinthal’s paradox, Intermediates and folding pathways, Energy landscape theory and folding funnel; Folding in vivo: molecular chaperones, intrinsically disordered proteins; Protein unfolding, protein misfolding and aggregation: amyloid diseases and stability of protein/peptide drug formulations. Membrane biophysics: structure of lipids and their assembly, structure and properties of biological membranes, membrane curvature, membrane transport processes, biophysics of ion channels, model membranes: liposomes, supported bilayers, lipid monolayers.

Texts:

1. K. E. Holde, C. Johnson and P. S. Ho, Principles of Physical Biochemistry, 2^nd Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.

2. R. Cotterill, Biophysics - An Introduction, Wiley, 2014.

References:

1. K. Dill and S. Bromberg, Molecular Driving Forces: Statistical Thermodynamics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Nanoscience, 2^nd Edition, Garland Science, 2010.

2. C. R. Cantor and P. R. Schimmel, Biophysical Chemistry, Parts 1-3, W. H. Freeman, 1980.

3. T. E. Creighton, Proteins: Structures and Molecular Properties, 2^nd Edition, W. H. Freeman, 1992.

4. T. Nordlund, Quantitative Understanding of Biosystems: An Introduction to Biophysics, 1^st Edition, CRC Press, 2011.