Structural Biology of the Cell
Molecular machines caught in action
Advances in structural biology techniques are significantly expanding the opportunities to study biomolecules at the resolution of individual atoms. Currently, cryoelectron microscopy, in particular, offers a previously inaccessible view of complex systems composed of a large number of subunits. This structural information paves the way for a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying fundamental cellular processes and their regulation. Each lecture will delve into the most important processes in the cell, contextualized within the framework of biomolecular structures. We cover topics such as enzymes catalyzing cellular processes, membranes and membrane proteins, protein synthesis and degradation, cell signaling, DNA replication and recombination, transcription and its regulation, cell motility and transport, and structural immunology.
Practical Course in Structural Biology
A one-week practical course at the IOCB Prague Structural Biology Lab offering hands-on experience with X-ray crystallography and biomolecular NMR. This practical course is open to all students, though completing the ‘Structural Biology of the Cell’ course is recommended.
The course covers key topics in crystallography, such as crystallizing proteins in different conditions, selecting crystals, setting up diffraction, processing diffraction data, and fitting structures to electron density maps. For NMR, you’ll learn to prepare titration series to monitor protein interactions, collect data on a spectrometer, evaluate protein binding, and assign resonance signals. Additionally, you’ll work on evaluating structural data, searching protein structure databases for similar proteins, predicting secondary structures, and using software to visualize biomolecular structures.
Drug Design
This one-semester course taught in English gives a hands-on introduction to using computational methods for modern drug design. It’s perfect for 1st and 2nd-year Master’s students, 3rd-year Bachelor’s students, and Ph.D. or medical students. Having some background in biomolecules, general chemistry, and scientific computing would be helpful. The course covers finding new biologically active compounds, studying the structure and interactions of biomolecules and ligands, understanding biologically active substances, and using tools like docking, molecular mechanics, dynamics, scoring, and ligand-based drug design, all with strong elements of structural biology.
List of our courses
| Course | Title | Semester | Language | E-credits | Guarantor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB151P117 | Structural Biology of the Cell | summer | čeština | 3 | Václav Veverka |
| MC250P76 | Practical Course in Structural Biology | summer | čeština | 3 | Václav Veverka |
| MB151P98 | Drug Design | winter | english | 4 | Martin Lepšík |