Harvard:Biophysics 242r/2011

Course overview

• Graduate level seminar focusing on in-silico design pipelines for nucleic acid- and protein-based molecular machinery and programmable molecular systems. Students are mentored to produce substantial midterm and final group design projects.
• No formal prerequisites. Projects are tailored to each student's strengths and interests.

Example topics for final design project

• Artificial chemotactic swimmers
• Nonequilibrium networks of nano-machines mimicking dynamic instability in the cytoskeleton
• Nucleic acid logic automata responsive to microRNAs in serum
• Self-assembled solar energy harvester based on bio-inorganic nano-antennae for uv-vis
• Systematic debugging of DNA labeling chemistries by atomic-resolution TEM imaging of DNA origami
• Light-controlled transcriptional activation and repression through rational molecular design
• Directed evolution of tissue engineering scaffold nano-materials
• Programmable multistep chemical synthesis by templating on nanostructures
• Ultra-sensitive molecular signal processing for synthetic biology
• Synthetic nanostructure - virus conjugates
• Nano-breadboards for probing electron transport in proteins
• Replication of information in synthetic crystals
• Etc.

Logistics

• Meeting time: 2011 Spring Term, Mondays and Wednesdays, 100 pm — 230 pm, with optional sessions for working on projects from 230 pm to 330 pm, starting on Monday, February 7
• Form teams for midterm projects on Monday, February 7
• Form teams for final projects on Monday, March 21
• First class on Monday, January 24
• Location: CLSB521
• No exams
• Prerequisites: none
• Grading
  • 33% Participation
  • 33% Midterm project
  • 33% Final project
• Harvard course site
• Harvard:Biophysics_242r/2011/Course Development Log
  

Background Info and previous class projects

• http://openwetware.org/wiki/Biophysics_242r/2009

Recent changes

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