Bioorganic Chemistry

Code:

Q3013

Acronym:

Q3013

Level:

300

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Chemistry

Instance: 2020/2021 - 1S

Active?	No
Responsible unit:	Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Chemistry

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L:Q	0	study plan from 2016/17	3	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

It is intendend that students apply basic concepts in General and Organic Chemistry towards the understanding of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, and of the chemical methods for production and modification of biomolecules, as a strategy to study and/or interfere with biological mechanisms and systems.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of this course, students should have become competent at the following levels:

- basic concepts of Prebiotic Chemistry and of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology;

- detailed kowledge on the molecular structure and chemical reactivity of the main classes of biomolecules, with emphasis on peptides and oligonucleotides;

- general concepts on the fundamentals of methods currently employed for the chemical synthesis and modification of biomolecules of interest;

- global perception on the myriad of applications of chemical methods for production and modification of biomolecules.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Pre-acquired knowledge: General and Organic Chemistry

Co-acquired knowledge: Biological Chemistry

Program

Lectures (28 h):

Chapter 1 - a chemical vision of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

- the Origins of Life: Prebiotic Chemistry;
- The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: general concepts and biological mission - producing peptides and proteins;
- amino acids: the building blocks of peptides and proteins;
- overview of protein biosynthesis.

Chapter 2 - Peptides and Proteins

- peptides and proteins as keyplayers in Life and Health: a few examples;
- techniques for producing peptides and proteins in the laboratory: from isolation from the natural source to total chemical synthesis, through recombinant DNA approaches;
- solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS): a revolution of the 1960s that became a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the 1980s and is now an indispensible tool in bioorganic chemistry.

Chapter 3 - Oligonucleotides and Nucleic Acids

- structural hierarchy: nucleoside, nucleotide, oligonucleotide, nucleic acid;
- chemical methods for production of oligonucleotides, and their main applications;
- peptide-nucleic acids (PNA): molecular chimeras at the forefront of biotechnology.

Chapter 4 - Combinatorial Chemistry

- the concepts of combinatorial synthesis sensu stricto and sensu lato; 
- fields of application of combinatorial synthesis of biomolecules;
- main methods for producing combinatorial libraries;
- dynamic combinatorial libraries (DCL), diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS), and DNA-encoded libraries.

Chapter 5 - Other biomolecules/case studies

- series of conferences on case studies involving production and applications of different classes of biomolecules and their analogues.


Lab classes (28 h)

- introduction to experimental research in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry

Mandatory literature

David Van Vranken e Gregory Weiss; Introduction to Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Garland Science, 2013. ISBN: 978-0815342144

Complementary Bibliography

Silverman Richard B.; The organic chemistry of drug design and drug action. ISBN: 0-12-643732-7
Voet Donald; Biochemistry. ISBN: 0-471-39223-5(Wiley international edition)

Teaching methods and learning activities

Teaching methods and learning activities will mainly settle on three approaches:

a) lectures where theoretical concepts will be mainly imparted according to a classical model based on oral presentations conveniently supported by slide shows, alternating with lectures from invited speakers addressing specific case studies, relevant within the course's scope

b) practical classes where the students will be actively involved in experimental research projects in the field of Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry; by the end of the semester, students will prepare and deliver the project's report and make an oral presentation, followed by discussion, of the work undertaken, its results and major conclusions;

c) for complementary assessment of individual learning and working skills, each student will be further assigned with ellaboration of 1-page reports on a few of the invited lectures of this course.

keywords

Natural sciences > Biological sciences
Physical sciences > Chemistry > Organic chemistry > Química macromolecular
Physical sciences > Chemistry > Organic chemistry
Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Biology > Molecular biology
Physical sciences > Chemistry > Biochemistry

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Participação presencial	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	53,00
Estudo autónomo	53,00
Frequência das aulas	28,00
Trabalho laboratorial	28,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students who do not obey to the following four requisites will not get approval to this course:

- participation in at least 3/4 of the scheduled lab classes and 2/3 of the scheduled theoretical classes (including lectures)

- positive average classification in the 1-page reports, i.e., MRI >= 9.5

- positive global classification in the experimental project, i.e., PE >= 9.5

Calculation formula of final grade

NF = 0.30 x MRI + 0.40 PE + 0.30 AAT

NF, final mark
MRI, average classification of the 1-page reports (on the lectures)
PE, classification obtained in the experimental project  (procedures, report and oral presentation/discussion)
AAT, attendance to theoretical classes (including lectures)

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Internship work/project

According to the above described, concerning the programme and procedues of the laboratory classes

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students allowed to benefit from special evaluation rules must address the professor, as a case-to-case evaluation is required.

Classification improvement

Not applicable: this is a course with distributed evaluation without final exam; as such, it will not be possible to carry out either appeal ("recurso") or improvement ("melhoria") examinations. Any student wishing to improve his/her mark will have to re-enroll in the course in a subsequent academic year.