Department of Biochemistry
Biochemical Research
School of Medicine
Phone 368-3344
The Department of Biochemistry offers undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and graduate programs leading to the Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, and combined Doctor of Medicine-Doctor of Philosophy. Many interdisciplinary and interdepartmental programs are available with other departments in the School of Medicine and in Case Western Reserve University that provide many possible additional avenues of study for those interested in pursuing a career in biochemistry. Research interests within the department include a broad spectrum of modern biochemical topics which are described below. The department's research facilities include major special equipment and special facilities needed for research in modern biochemistry. Additional information about either the undergraduate or graduate programs can be obtained by contacting the departmental office.
Richard W. Hanson, Ph.D. (Brown University)
Professor and Chairman of Department
Cecil Copper, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
Professor
Pieter L. De Haseth, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Assistant Professor
Pamela Docherty, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Instructor
Frederic E. Dorer, Ph.D. (State University of New York - Downstate)
Assistant Professor
David A. Goldthwait, M.D. (Columbia University)
Professor
Jerry A. Harpst, Ph.D. (Yale University)
Assistant Professor
Maria Hatzoglou, Ph.D. (National and Capodistrian University of Athens, Greece)
Instructor
Joyce E. Jentoft, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
Associate Professor
Jonathan P. Leis, Ph.D. (Cornell University)
Professor
Karen A. Magnus, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Assistant Professor
Mary McGrane, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University)
Instructor
William C. Merrick, Ph.D. (University of Georgia)
Professor
Mulchand S. Patel, Ph.D. (University of Illinois - Urbana)
Professor
David R. Samols, Ph.D. (University of Chicago)
Associate Professor
Martin D. Snider, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Assistant Professor
Nathan A. Berger, M.D. (Hahnemann Medical College)
Professor
Sosamma Berger, Ph.D. (Hahnemann Medical College)
Assistant Professor
Henri Brunengraber, M.D., Ph.D. (Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)
Professor
Dorr G. Dearborn, M.D. (University of Minnesota), Ph.D. (University of Minnesota - Twin City)
Associate Professor
Richard L. Eckert, Ph.D. (University of Illinois)
Assistant Professor
Helen H. Evans, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Professor
Mahrukh K. Ganapathi, Ph.D. (University of Miami)
Assistant Professor
Thomas A. Gerken, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Assistant Professor
Edward L. Kean, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
Professor
Douglas S. Kerr, M.D., Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve University)
Associate Professor
Leroy Klein, M.D. (Case Western Reserve University), Ph.D. (Boston University)
Professor
Karl A. Koehler, Ph.D. (Indiana University)
Associate Professor
Kanagaraj G. Kumar, Ph.D. (University of Mysore, India)
Assistant Professor
Bernard R. Landau, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Professor
David W. Lundgren, Ph.D. (Southern Illinois University)
Assistant Professor
Richard E. Miller, M.D. (University of Michigan)
Associate Professor
Oddvar F. Nygaard, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
Professor
Joseph C. Occhino, M.D. (Tufts University), Ph.D. (Boston University)
Associate Professor
Nancy L. Oleinick, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)
Professor
Nelson F. B. Phillips, Ph.D. (University of Adelaide, Australia)
Assistant Professor
Arnold E. Powell, B.S. (City University of New York - City College)
Associate Professor
W. David Sedwick, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
Associate Professor
Ganes Chandra Sen, Ph.D. (McMaster University, Canada)
Adjunct Associate Professor
John E. Stuehr, Ph.D. (Western Reserve University)
Professor
Martina Veigl, Ph.D. (Emory University)
Assistant Professor
James E. Zull, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin - Madison)
Professor
Richard G. Barr, M.D. (Case Western Reserve University), Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
Adjunct Instructor
John William Chase, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Adjunct Professor
(See College of Arts and Sciences)
The master's program is uniquely designed to provide interested students with sufficient background and laboratory experience to enable them to function as senior research assistants and eventually as laboratory supervisors in university departments, research institutes, or industrial laboratories. It is a three-year program that provides advanced training for persons who wish to proceed beyond the B.A. or B.S. without committing themselves to the Ph.D. The student pursues a flexible and individually designed schedule related to his or her research interests, which leads to an independent research project in the second and third years of the program. The program simultaneously develops background knowledge and technical skill in modern biochemistry which can be applied to a large number of career opportunities. Graduates of the program are eligible for membership in the American Chemical Society. A more complete description of the program, admission policies, and financial aid is available from the departmental office.
The aim of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in biochemistry. The emphasis of the doctoral program is on research culminating in the completion of an original. Independent research project under the guidance of a faculty member in the department. Active research projects within the department include metabolic regulation; developmental biochemistry; regulation of protein synthesis; enzymatic structure and reaction mechanisms; animal virology; DNA mutagenesis and repair; cloning and analysis of genes; secretion and endocytosis; protein-nucleic acid interactions; mechanism of catalysis by coenzymes; metabolic functions of vitamins; mechanism of chemosynthesis from CO, CO2 and H2; lipid metabolism; magnetic resonance studies of proteins; protein structure determination by x-ray crystallography; and physical biochemistry. In addition to the research activities, graduate students participate in formal courses both within and outside the department, formal and informal seminars, and discussions of current literature. Schedules are flexible and are individually tailored to the students' needs. Although students choose from the various tracks within the department, they are broadly trained in modern aspects of biochemistry and become familiar with techniques and literature in a wide variety of areas. A large number of collaborative projects with other departments are also available to broaden the spectrum of training offered. Most students select a multidepartmental, integrated curriculum in cellular and molecular biology in addition to specialized courses in biochemistry.
Most Ph.D. students in Biochemistry are admitted through the Biomedical Sciences Training Program. This program, which combines 11 graduate programs in the School of Medicine, is described under a separate listing. A complete description of the program, including research activities, admission policies, and financial aid, may be obtained from the department office or the Biomedical Sciences Training Program Coordinator.
Undergraduate majors in biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply for an integrated graduate program in biochemistry/molecular biology and microbiology. This program allows the student to enter graduate school at the end of the junior year and to obtain the B.A. degree while completing the first year of graduate school at CWRU. The first year of coursework in graduate school substitutes for the last year of undergraduate coursework. The admitted student takes the same coursework and chooses a thesis adviser from among the faculty in the same fashion as do other Ph.D. students. The program is highly competitive and only one or two outstanding graduates may be selected in any year.
Students may pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry as part of the combined M.D., Ph.D. program. Information on this program may be obtained from the departmental office or the Medical Scientist Training Program.
(See College of Arts and Sciences)
BIOC 407. General Biochemistry (4).
Protein structure; enzyme mechanisms, kinetics and regulation; bioenergetics; photosynthesis; nitrogen fixation; structure and metabolism of nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids; metabolic regulation; action of hormones; muscle contraction; neurotransmission. Prerequisite: CHEM 223, 224, or equivalent.
BIOC 412. Physical Properties of Macromolecules (3).
Examination of the techniques used to study the physical properties of nucleic acids, soluble and membrane bound proteion, and glycoproteins. Prerequisite: BIOC 307 or equivalent, one year of physical chemistry.
BIOC 414. Laboratory in Physical and Chemical Properties of Biological Macromolecules (2).
Laboratory in data analysis derived from methods used in examining the structure and function of biological macromolecules. Topics selected from sedimentation velocity and equilibrium, viscometry, light scattering, circular dichroism, flouresence quenching, flourescence energy transfer, x-ray crystallography, NMR methods, molecular graphics, and structure simulation. Prerequisite or coresuisite:BIOC/BIOL 334/434 or BIOC/BIOL 312/412.
BIOC 420. Cancer and the Cell Cycle (3).
Oncogenes, chemical carcinogenesis, DNA repair, immunology of cancer, chemotherapy, metastases, DNA tumor viruses.
BIOC 433. Molecular Biology: Genes and Genetic Engineering (4).
Synthesis of nucleotides; mechanism of control of DNA, RNA, and protein biosynthesis; recombinant DNA; mRNA processing and modification; effects of hemin and interferon treatment on protein synthesis. Where possible, eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems are analyzed for similarities and differences. Current literature is discussed briefly as an introduction to current techniques and methodologies in genetic engineering. Prerequisite: BIOC 307, BIOC 205, or equivalent.
BIOC 434. Proteins and Enzymes (3).
Protein and enzyme structure, and kinetics; role of coenzymes and metal ions; principles of methodology. Prerequisite: BIOC 307, BIOC 205, or equivalent.
BIOC 452. Nutritional Biochemistry (3).
Influence of dietary components on regulation of metabolic pathways. Prerequisite: BIOC 307 or equivalent.
BIOC 453. Metabolic Regulation (3).
Examination of current views on regulation of various metabolic pathways as well as general principles of regulation and methods by which they are studied. Prerequisite: BIOC 307 or equivalent.
BIOC 473. Protein Biosynthesis (3).
Mechanism and regulation of protein biosynthesis with emphasis on eukaryotic systems. The area is examined in fundamental detail to provide the student with an understanding of biochemical methodology and techniques at the level of the research literature. Initiation and elongation in protein synthesis; mRNA structure and function; secretory proteins; influence of viral infection on protein synthesis. Prerequisite: BIOC 307 or equivalent.
BIOC 474. RNA and DNA Biosynthesis (3).
DNA biosynthesis, recombination, RNA-dependent DNA synthesis, and RNA transcription. Prerequisite BIOC 307 or equivalent.
BIOC 486. Protein Structure, Folding, and Design (3).
Readings in the current literature with computer program and model building workshops. Prerequisites: BIOC 407, BIOC 434 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 515. Molecular Endocrinology (3).
Synthesis, secretion, and mechanism of action of selected hormones; hormonal interrelationships. Prerequisite: CBI0 453, CDI0 456, or equivalent.
BIOC 601. Biochemical Research (credit as arranged).
Prerequisites: BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 605. Independent Project In Biochemical Research (credit as arranged).
Prerequisite: BIOC 407, 601; consent of instructor. Limited to students in the M.S. Program in Biochemical Research.
BIOC 611. Biochemistry Seminar (1).
Discussion of current research. Prerequisites: BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 612. Biochemistry Seminar (1).
Discussion of current research. Prerequisites: BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 617. Topics in Biochemistry (2).
Special topics courses on areas of current interest in biochemistry. Prerequisites: BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor. (Offered as needed.)
BIOC 618. Topics in Biochemistry (2).
Special topics courses on areas of current interest in biochemistry. Prerequisites: BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor. (Offered as needed.)
BIOC 641. Proposition I (2).
Design of research proposal. BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 643. Proposition II (2).
Design of research proposal. BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 645. Proposition III (2).
Design of research proposal. BIOC 407 or equivalent and consent of instructor.
BIOC 651. Thesis (M.S). (credit as arranged).
BIOC 701. Dissertation (Ph.D.) (credit as arranged).
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