BiochemistryOn this page: Introduction | Programs | See also: Faculty Members | Course Descriptions | Course Winter Timetable | Introduction |
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Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of living organisms. Biochemists seek a molecular explanation of life by attempting to understand its underlying principles. Biochemistry is concerned with the relevance of a molecule to an organism and the correlations between its structure and its function. Modern biochemistry grew out of the application of chemical techniques to biological problems and is the foundation of biological science and medicine. In many ways it combines biology and chemistry but the subject now covers such a broad range of activity that it is difficult to draw a neat border around biochemistry. Some of the most exciting areas of current biochemistry research include:
The Biochemistry Specialist Program is academically oriented and designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of the discipline. The program offers training in problem solving specifically using a molecular approach. Biochemistry specialists will gain experience in critical thinking and the skills required to evaluate scientific rationale. The Biochemistry Major Program offers students fundamental training in the science and gives each student in the program the chance to combine Biochemistry with another relevant Major Program. This may be within the Life Sciences or Basic Sciences, or may be within the arts. For example, the combination of Biochemistry with Economics or with English could provide students with training relevant to the fields of investment within biotechnology or scientific journalism. Students who excel within the Biochemistry Major Program may be offered the chance to enter the Specialist Program at the third year. Frequently students who have completed a B.Sc. in the Specialist Program continue their studies in graduate programs in Biochemistry and other Life Sciences. Graduates from either the Specialist or Major Programs may find employment in research and teaching. Employers include universities and colleges, government laboratories, clinical biochemistry laboratories, forensic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and many other industries. Skills learned in the Biochemistry Specialist and Major Programs are also helpful in other areas such as marketing, finance, and law. Some biochemistry graduates continue their studies in medicine, dentistry or other health related programs. Students considering choosing either the BCH Specialist or BCH Major program are encouraged to attend program information sessions to be held by the department in February and March. Please note that the Specialist program is the accepted route to graduate studies in Biochemistry and to careers in research. Undergraduate Coordinator Dr. R. R. Baker, roy.baker@utoronto.ca Undergraduate Administrator: Brenda Bradshaw, brenda.bradshaw@utoronto.ca Enquiries: Medical Sciences Building, room 5207 (416-978-2700) Web site: www.biochemistry.utoronto.ca Biochemistry ProgramsBiochemistry (Science Program)The Biochemistry Specialist Program is a Type 3 program. Enrolment is limited and selection is based on performance in First Year courses. Typically, students considered for entrance into the Specialist Program have a GPA greater than 3.0. Students apply via the Faculty’s Subject POSt web site. See the departmental web site at www.biochemistry.utoronto.ca for more information. Specialist Program (14 full courses or their equivalent, including at least thREE 400 series courses) First Year: BIO150Y1/(BIO120H1, BIO130H1); CHM151Y1/ (CHM138H1, CHM139H1); MAT135Y1/136Y1/MAT137Y1; (PHY131H1, PHY132H1)/(PHY151H1,PHY152H1)/110Y1/138Y1/140Y1 [PHY131H1, PHY132H1 recommended] Second Year: Third Year: BCH335H1, BCH340H1, BCH371H1; MGY311Y1 Fourth Year: Note: Some of the MGY courses noted above have BIO260H1 as prerequisite. Over the course of the Specialist program, additional credits (to bring the program total to 14 full courses or their equivalent) from the following list: BIO260H1/CHM217H1 (Analytical Chemistry)/CHM221H1* (Physical Chemistry II)/CHM225Y1 (Physical Chemistry)/CHM326H1 (Quantum Mechanics, Spectroscopy)/CHM328H1 (Physical Chemistry) /CHM342H1 (Organic Synthesis)/CHM347H1 (Organic Chemistry of Biological Compounds)/CSC108H1/CSC148H1/CSC150H1 (Introductory Computer Science, only one CSC course can be chosen)/HMB265H1/MAT235Y1/MAT237Y1 (Calculus II)/STA220H1/STA221H1/ any suitaBLE 300-level course from CHM/CSB/EEB/HMB/IMM/LMP/MGY/PCL/PSL (departmental approval required) *In lieu of CHM220H1 + CHM221H1, CHM225Y1 is an acceptable alternate credit for the Specialist program. CHM225Y1 and CHM221H1 have MAT235Y1/MAT237Y1 (Calculus II) as corequisite. ** Additional BCH research project courses can be taken as part of the 20 full credits needed for your degree, but if you take more than one full credit project course each must be taken with a different research supervisor. Major Program (8 full courses or their equivalent, including two 400-series half-year courses as noted below) The Biochemistry Major program is a Type 3 program. Only students with a GPA of 2.5 or higher will be considered for entrance into the Major program. Enrollment is limited and selection is based upon performance in First Year courses. Students may combine this Biochemistry Major with another suitable Major within Science, Humanities, or Social Sciences. For more information, refer to the Biochemistry web site at www.biochemistry.utoronto.ca First Year: BIO150Y1/(BIO120H1, BIO130H1); CHM151Y1/ (CHM138H1, CHM139H1); MAT135Y1/136Y1/MAT137Y1 Second Year: BCH210H1;(BIO240H1, BIO241H1)/BIO250Y1; CHM247H1/CHM249H1 Third Year: Fourth Year: Two of: BCH422H1/BCH425H1/BCH426H1/BCH440H1/ BCH441H1/BCH444H1/BCH445H1/BCH446H1/BCH447H1/CHM447H1 Bioinformatics and Computational BiologyIn principle, life is an expression of pure information, encoded in physical molecules. The more we discover about the details, the more we find that molecular biology is an information science as much as it is a physical science. Genome sequencing, proteome analysis and the study of cellular “systems” have given us breathtaking insights into the inner workings of biological function at the molecular level. However, a deep understanding of the complex organization of the cell and the interaction of its components has yet to be achieved. Substantial further progress will be needed to make our science predictive, to fulfill the promises of “post-genomic” biology for biotechnology and molecular medicine. Bioinformatics builds the toolbox of this science with methods that make biological information computable. Computational biology is bioinformatics’ goal: we hope to advance our understanding of life through computational analysis, modeling, and prediction. The Bioinformatics and Computational Biology specialist program - provides a balance between its foundational subjects and covers advanced topics in both the theoretical and the life-sciences. It aims to train future leaders in the field who will develop original, creative problem-solving strategies at the intersection of theory and experiment. The program draws on the University’s state-of-the-art facilities across several departments, as well as being firmly embedded in a comprehensive landscape of graduate and postgraduate research in one of the University’s priority areas. Graduates of the program would typically pursue graduate studies in any of the participating departments: Computer Science (from the biocomputing stream, see below), Biochemistry, or the biological disciplines (from the bioanalyst stream). Their professional careers may span a wide range of opportunities in academic research, but also entering into medical school, and biotechnology careers in drug-development, agrotechnology or even patent law. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Science Program)The Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program is jointly sponsored by the Departments of Biochemistry, Cell & Systems Biology, Computer Science and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Enrollment is limited and selection is based on performance in the required first year courses. Specialist program: (16.5 full courses or their equivalent) First Year: MAT135Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1; (CSC107H1/CSC108H1, CSC148H1)/CSC150H1; CSC165H1; CHM151Y1/(CHM138H1, CHM139H1); BIO150Y1/(BIO120H1, BIO130H1); writing requirement (0.5 credit, see Note 2 to Comprehensive Program in Computer Science) Second Year: MAT223H1/MAT240H1; STA247H1; STA248H1; CSC207H1; CSC236H1/CSC240H1; BCH242Y1; BIO250Y1; BIO240H1; BIO241H1 Third Year: CSC263H1/CSC265H1; CSC321H1/CSC343H1; CSC373H1/CSC375H1; BCH441H1/BIO472H1; MGY311Y1/(BIO260H1, BIO349H1) Fourth Year:
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