Department of Biochemistry
MA in Biochemistry
PhD in Biochemistry
Courses
Chairman Carl Franzblau
Associate Chairman and Director
of Graduate Studies Judith Ann Foster
The Department of Biochemistry includes 32 full-time faculty members, 20 postdoctoral fellows, and 70 graduate students, all of whom participate in a variety of active research and training programs. The research in the department falls within the broad spectrum of biomedical research. Overall, these efforts address fundamental mechanisms of life processes, with emphasis on the underlying bases of human disease. The department is housed in a modern, well-equipped facility within the Boston University Medical Center. Members of the Department of Biochemistry are actively involved in collaborative efforts both within the department and with other researchers throughout the various basic and clinical science departments at the Medical Center. Specific research interests of the faculty include extracellular matrix biochemistry and molecular biology, regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells, developmental biochemistry, vesicle trafficking and signal transduction, protein structure and function, mechanisms of catalysis, porphyrin biochemistry, protein-membrane interactions, growth control and cell cycle, neuro-biochemistry, mechanism of action of steroid hormones, and mechanisms of oncogenesis. Research activities are well supported by a variety of interdisciplinary research program project grants, graduate student and postdoctoral fellow training grants, and individual research grants.
The Department of Biochemistry provides research training to graduate, postdoctoral, medical, and allied health science students. Graduate-level courses are presented covering the major subdisciplines of biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology by faculty with particular expertise in these areas. These advanced courses emphasize recent findings as well as relevant fundamental background information. Seminar programs within the department and in the surrounding biomedical community provide students with an opportunity to actively participate in discussions on the most recent advances in the field of biomolecular sciences.
A brochure describing the special interests of faculty members in the Department of Biochemistry may be obtained by writing to Dr. Judith Foster, Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118; by calling 617/638-4361; or e-mailing jfoster@med-biochem.bu.edu.
Requirements for Admission
Students who have completed an undergraduate degree usually with a major in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry and have taken courses in general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and calculus may apply for either an MA or a PhD in biochemistry. Coursework in biochemistry is also recommended. Students who have completed an MA degree in biochemistry or a closely related field can apply for a post-master's PhD. MD/PhD students are also eligible for admission.
A part-time MA program is available to qualified applicants who are employees of the Boston University School of Medicine (contact the director of Graduate Studies for further information). A student presently enrolled in an MA program in biochemistry may apply for the PhD program if he/she has completed 12 or more graduate credits in biochemistry (including GMS MS 753, BI 751, and excluding student seminar) and has obtained a GPA of 3.25 or better. In addition, the student must have taken and successfully passed the Written Qualifying Examination in biochemistry.
Programs of Study
Each new student consults with an assigned advisor during the orientation period prior to the start of the fall semester to plan the first year's program. During the first year the PhD candidate also participates in four laboratory rotations to facilitate the choice of a research advisor. The MA student is required to complete two laboratory rotations in the first semester of the first year. Specific course requirements (except for research) may be waived for students who present evidence of equivalent preparation, although the limitations on transfer of credit set by the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences still pertain. The general rules and regulations in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences concerning graduate students are presented elsewhere in this bulletin and should be consulted.
Eight semester courses (32 credits); including (1) general biochemistry
(GMS BI 751 or the equivalent); (2) GMS MS 753 Cell Biology; (3)
at least two courses in advanced biochemistry or a related field
(see listing below); (4) one biochemistry seminar (GMS BI 854);
and (5) a maximum of 16 credits in research.
Normally, all candidates submit a written thesis based upon their
laboratory research. Under special circumstances a comprehensive
examination or a library thesis may be substituted for the research
thesis at the discretion of the Committee on Graduate Student
Affairs.
Sixteen semester courses (64 credits) including (1) general biochemistry
(GMS BI 751 or the equivalent); (2) GMS MS 753 Cell Biology; (3)
a minimum of six courses in advanced biochemistry or a related
field; (4) one biochemistry seminar (GMS BI 854); and (5) research
totaling approximately 32 credits.
Post-master's PhD and MD/PhD students need to complete 32 credits
including a minimum of 16 credits of formal coursework. The particular
courses and the number of credits depend upon the student's previous
graduate studies. Seminar and research requirements are the same
as those for the postbachelor's PhD.
Candidates for the doctoral degree must pass both a written qualifying
examination taken at the end of the first year of graduate study
and an oral qualifying examination taken at the end of the second
year. Students must have an overall course grade point average
of at least 3.0 at the end of the fourth semester of study to
take the oral qualifying examination and continue working toward
the PhD degree. (See the "Academic Policies
and Procedures" section for further details.)
Candidates are expected to discuss their research progress with
a five-member dissertation Advisory Committee annually, beginning
in their first post-qualifying examination year. (See information in
the "Academic Policies and Procedures" section)
See "Academic Policies and Procedures" section.
Peter M. Brecher PhD, Professor
Miyoung Chun PhD, Assistant Professor
Theresa Davies PhD, Assistant Research Professor
Stephen R. Farmer PhD, Professor
Richard E. Fine PhD, Professor
Judith A. Foster PhD, Professor
Carl Franzblau PhD, Professor
Wayne A. Gonnerman PhD, Assistant Professor
Robin Johnson PhD, Assistant Research Professor
Herbert M. Kagan PhD, Professor
Konstantin Kandror PhD, Assistant Professor
Edward J. Modest PhD, Research Professor
Shirley Morris PhD, Assistant Research Professor
Matthew Nugent PhD, Assistant Professor
Constance Phillips MPH, Assistant Research Professor (Biotechnology)
Paul F. Pilch PhD, Professor
Peter Polgar PhD, Professor
Katya Ravid PhD, Associate Professor
Karl Schmid PhD, Professor Emeritus
Barbara M. Schreiber PhD, Associate Research Professor
Elizabeth R. Simons PhD, Professor
F. Marott Sinex PhD, Professor Emeritus
Barbara Smith PhD, Professor
Gail Sonenshein PhD, Professor
Phillip J. Stone PhD, Professor
Karen Symes PhD, Assistant Professor
Linda Taylor PhD, Assistant Research Professor
Keith Tornheim PhD, Associate Professor
Paul A. Toselli MD/PhD, Associate Professor
Abdulmaged M. Traish PhD, Professor
Robert F. Troxler PhD, Professor
Herbert H. Wotiz PhD, Professor Emeritus
Zhi-Xiong Jim Xiao PhD, Assistant Professor
Vassilis I. Zannis PhD, Professor
David Atkinson PhD, Research Professor (Professor of Biophysics)
Peter Bergethon MD, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Jerome Brody MD, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Medicine)
David Center MD, Research Professor (Professor of Medicine)
Sati C. Chattoraj PhD, Research Professor (Professor of
Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Barbara Corkey PhD, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Medicine)
Richard Diamond MD, Research Professor (Professor of Medicine)
Douglas Faller PhD, Research Professor (Professor of Medicine)
Alan Fine MD, Assistant Research Professor (Assistant Professor
of Medicine)
Ronald Goldstein MD, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Medicine)
Dana Graves DDS, DMSc, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Periodontology and Oral Biology)
James Hamilton PhD, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Biophysics)
William Hollander MD, Research Professor (Professor of
Medicine)
Bruce Jackson PhD, Adjunct Assistant Research Professor
Maria A. Kukuruzinska PhD, Assistant Research Professor
(Assistant Professor of Periodontology and Oral Biology)
Joseph Korn MD, Research Professor (Professor of Medicine)
Wayne LaMorte MD, PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Assistant
Professor of Surgery)
Joseph Loscalzo MD, PhD, Research Professor (Professor
of Medicine)
John R. Murphy PhD, Research Professor (Research Professor
of Medicine)
Gwynneth D. Offner PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Associate
Professor of Medicine)
Frank Oppenheim DMD, PhD, Associate Professor (Professor
of Periodontology and Oral Biology)
Hee Young Park PhD, Assistant Research
Professor (Assistant Professor of Dermatology)
Michael Shia PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Assistant
Professor of Medicine)
G. Graham Shipley PhD, Professor (Professor of Biophysics)
Donald Small MD, Professor (Professor of Biophysics)
Gordon Snider MD, Associate Research Professor (Professor
of Medicine)
Philip C. Trackman PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Assistant
Professor of Periodontology and Oral Biology)
Vickery Trinkaus-Randall PhD, Associate Research Professor
(Associate Professor of Ophthalmology)
Mary Walsh PhD, Research Instructor (Assistant Professor
of Biophysics)
Qiang Yu PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Assistant Professor
of Medicine)
Ken Zaner MD/PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Associate
Professor of Medicine)
Raphael Zoeller PhD, Assistant Research Professor (Associate
Professor of Biophysics)
Published by Trustees of Boston University
11 March 1999
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MA in Biochemistry
Course Requirements
Thesis or Comprehensive Examination
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PhD in Biochemistry
Course Requirements for PhD
Qualifying Examination
Dissertation Advisory Committee
Residency Requirements, Dissertation Examination and Seminar
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Courses
Prereq:
organic chemistry or equivalent, and consent of instructor. This
two-semester course provides the biochemical foundation for advanced
studies in basic and clinical sciences. Topics presented in the
first semester include the structure and function of macromolecules,
the mechanisms of enzyme action, the metabolism of carbohydrates
and lipids, as well as bioenergetics. The second semester continues
with the metabolism of lipids, amino acids and nucleotides, the
control of metabolic processes, the function of hormones, biochemical
genetics, and transcriptional and translational events. Kagan,
Farmer. 4 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
Prereq:
consent of instructor. Basic principles and concepts of graduate-level
biochemistry in a one-semester course. Instruction includes protein
structure and function; mechanisms of enzyme action; carbohydrate
and lipid metabolism; bioenergetics; metabolism of amino acids
and nucleotides; DNA and RNA synthesis, structure and function;
and regulation of gene expression. Traish. 6 cr, 1st sem.
Not offered 1998/1999.
Not
offered 1998/1999
Prereq:
BI 755, 756; MS 753; and consent of instructor. Introduction to
the basic theory and practice of an approach applicable to many
cell biology problems. Covers the following topics: early mouse
development; gene targeting into mouse embryos; homologous recombination
in embryonic stem cells; review of practical aspects of the transgenic
technology; review of selected studies employing transgenic mice
and chimeric (gene knockout) mice. Offered alternate years. Ravid.
2 cr, 2nd sem.
Not
offered 1998/1999
Prereq:
GMS BI 755, 756 or equivalent and consent of instructor. Detailed
consideration of metabolic pathways and major sites of metabolic
regulation. Catalytic properties, cofactors, and methods of regulation
functioning in the pathways of intermediary metabolism are studied.
Topics include: carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, alternate pathways,
photosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism. Offered alternate years.
Tornheim. 2 cr, 2nd sem.
Not
offered 1998/1999
Prereq:
GMS BI 755, 756 or equivalent and consent of instructor. Advanced
molecular biology using the current literature as a source of
information. Emphasis is placed on relevant research techniques.
Topics include structure and function of nucleic acids, recombinant
DNA research, molecular biology of important cellular processes,
and regulation of gene expression emphasizing control mechanisms
in eukaryotic cells. Offered alternate years. Farmer. 4 cr, 2nd
sem.
Prereq
(or may be taken simultaneously): GMS BI 755 and 756 or equivalent
and consent of instructor. This course correlates the structure
of proteins with their function. It considers the universality
of certain regions, such as zinc fingers, calcium binding regions,
DNA liganding sequences, in terms of their three dimensional structure,
and considers the effect of site specific mutations in these regions
on the function of the protein containing them. Apoproteins, apolipoproteins,
glycoproteins, structural proteins, and adhesion molecules are
used as examples of the correlation between structure and function
of these entities. Alternates with GMS BI789. Simons. 2 cr, 1st
sem.
Not
offered 1998/1999
Not
offered 1998/1999
Prereq:
consent of instructor. Current issues and key research advances
in the understanding of the biochemical processes involved in
aging of mammals are discussed. Theories on aging are analyzed,
and age-related changes in gene structure and expression are presented.
Alterations in the function of the neuroendocrine and immune systems
with aging are also discussed. Offered alternate years. Polgar.
2 cr, 2nd sem.
Prereq: GMS BI 755,
756 or equivalent and consent of instructor. Examines the most
recent advances in the molecular mechanisms involved in regulation
of cell proliferation, differentiation, and development. Control
of the cell cycle and regulation of the expression of differentiated
function are discussed. The role of extracellular growth factors
and nuclear transcriptional regulatory proteins are explored.
Students present and actively discuss recent primary research
articles. Offered alternate years. Symes. 2 cr, 1st sem.
Prereq:
GMS BI 755, 756 or equivalent and consent of instructor. Advanced
aspects of chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic principles of catalytic
mechanisms. Topics include genetic, kinetic, and chemical methods
of analysis of enzyme mechanisms; transition state and mechanism-based
inhibitors in the control of metabolic reactions; allosteric regulation;
enzymes as chemotherapeutic targets in human disease. Offered
alternate years. Kagan. 2 cr, 2nd sem.
Prereq:
consent of instructor. The structure of water, its role in protein
or nucleic acid folding, as well as the part played by water or
by its exclusion in biochemical reactions, forms the basis of
the course. The role of uncharged vs. charged solutes, and the
effect of enclosure of aqueous solutions of macromolecules in
semipermeable membranes (i.e., modeling of a cell, as well as
of the protein solutions within it) are also considered. Simons,
Bergethon. 2 cr, 1st sem.
Prereq:
GMS BI 755, 756 or equivalent and consent of instructor. The goal
of this course is to provide an in-depth description of the molecular
mechanisms of ligand-receptor binding and signal transduction.
Emphasis is placed on the mechanism of action of hormones, neurotransmitters,
and growth factors. Individual components of receptor-induced
signaling pathways are investigated in detail and integrated into
models of cellular control. Relies heavily on current literature
and student directed discussion. Offered alternate years. Pilch,
Traish. 2 cr, 2nd sem.
Not
offered 1998/1999
Prereq:
GMS BI 755, 756 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
Required
for all first- and second-year post-bachelor's PhD biochemistry
students and for all first-year MA, post-master's PhD, and MD/PhD
biochemistry students. Students present seminars on current topics
in biochemistry. The emphasis of this course is on effective use
of the biochemical literature and methods of improving oral presentations.
Davies. 2 cr. (Register only in final semester of attendance.)
Variable
crFaculty
Carmela Abraham PhD, Associate Research ProfessorJoint Faculty
147 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
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