Winter 2008 Course Listings

Course Number: Biochem 201A
Course title: Biological Regulatory Mechanisms
Course Director: Joachim Li
Days: Mondays and Thursdays, GH Auditorium, Simulcast to Parnassus, S-161
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
First day: Thursday, January 3, 2008
Discussion Sections: Fridays MBGH S-202 & S-204, 9:00- 10:30 am, 10:30-12:00 noon
Review sessions: Mondays, 5:00-7:00 pm, & Thursdays, 1:30-3:00 pm, GH-S201
Website: http://tetrad.ucsf.edu/bioreg/
Schedule: Click here

Course Number: Biochem 241
Course title: Idea to IPO…and Beyond
Course Director: G. Steven Burrill and Charles Craik
Days: Mondays, January 7 - March 17, 2008
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 pm
First day: Monday, January 7, 2008
Website: Pre-registration Required: A select number of seats may be available to non-UCSF participants. To
pre-register for the class, or find detailed information, please go to http://www.ucsf.edu/cbe/ideatoipo1.htm
Description: This 11-week course is for UCSF life scientists and healthcare professionals who want to learn how to build value from their biomedical inventions and ideas. Participating students form teams around real technologies and at the culmination, formally present them to a panel of prominent venture capitalists. Idea to IPO students experience a tailored introduction to life science entrepreneurship, with practical information and exercises on:
-Start-up structures
-Analyzing market opportunities
-Regulatory hurdles
-Sources of financing for new ventures
-Writing an executive summary and business plan
-"Pitching" to venture capitalists

Course Number: BMI 206
Course Title: Theory I: Principles, Theory & Computation
Course Director: Patricia Babbitt
Days & Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00-2:30 pm, Fridays 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location: BH 212
First day: Thursday, January 3, 2008
Website: https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/bmi206/
Description: This is the first of two theory courses required for all iPQB students. Covers computational principles and applications in bioinformatics and computational structural biology. Topics include time and space scales, all-atom modeling, small molecule docking, sampling methods with applications in protein design, clustering, molecular evolution, sequence analysis & comparative genomics for functional inference, gene and protein arrays, protein structural modeling, and computational characterization of protein assemblies. 4 units, letter grade only.

Course Number: BMS 225A
Course Title: Tissue & Organ Biology
Course Director: Matthias Hebrok
Days: Monday, Wednesdays & Thursdays
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: N-217 Parnassus, videoconferenced to Mission Bay, GH-S202
First day: Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Website: http://www.ucsf.edu/bms/courses/bms225A/index.html
Description: An integrative course emphasizing frontiers in cell and molecular biology of human tissue and organ systems. It is intended to provide a foundation in human anatomy, histology, immunology, physiology and pathobiology for graduate students. Rather than a comprehensive course, selected topics will be discussed in depth. The emphasis may shift each year, depending upon which topics are relevant and timely.

Course Number: BMS 255
Course Title: Genetics & Genomics
Course Director: Christian Vaisse and Nigel Killeen
Days: Mondays, Thursdays, & Fridays
Time: Mondays & Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:30 pm, Fridays, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Location: N-217 Parnassus, videoconferenced to Mission Bay, GH-S202
First day: Thursdays, January 3, 2008
Website: http://www.ucsf.edu/bms/courses/bms255/index.html
Description: This course will cover basic aspects of genome organization, function, replication, repair, and role in human disease. The course is divided into three modules. The first module covers genome organization and basic function. The second module covers the use of model organisms for assessment of genome function. A third module covers genetic and genomic aspects of human disease. Computer laboratories will introduce common databases and computational resources that are essential for modern genomic studies. Paper discussions will cover recent developments in cancer genomics and genetics.

Course Number: BP 204
Course Title: Macromolecular Structure and Interactions
Course Director: Robert Stroud
Days: Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays
Time: 1:00-2:30 pm
Location: QB3 Room 212
First day: Friday, January 4, 2008
Website: http://www.msg.ucsf.edu/macro
Course Description: | SYLLABUS | Macromolecular Interactions A/B is a 2 quarter course that focuses on the molecular basis of biological interactions. The first quarter can be considered as a separate core course that focuses on the key principles of protein structure, folding, interactions with ligands and enzymatic catalysis. It ends with a short written proposal. You may register for BP204A for the fall quarter segment alone. The second quarter (BP204B) focuses on more specialized expansion to protein-protein and nucleic acid interactions, trans membrane proteins and protein assemblies. It ends with a written proposal examined orally Mar 17th-21st for 65% of the total 2 quarter grade.

Course Numeber: Chem 244
Course Title: Reaction Mechanisms
Course Director: Kevan Shokat
Days & Time: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Fridays, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: MBGH S-261
First Day: Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Description: This course is designed to develop the student's knowledge of organic reaction mechanisms. This interactive course involves some lectures, but enforces student learning through intensive arrow pushing sessions with students at the board. Current topics include: electrocyclic reactions, Woodward-Hoffman rules, sigmatropic reactions, migration reactions, neighboring group effects, carbanions and free radicals, carbenes, carbenoids, nitrenes, six-membered heterocyclic rings, five-membered heterocyclic rings.

Course Number: NS201B
Course Title: Basic Concepts in Developmental and Systems Neuroscience
Course Directors: Michael Brainard, Jonathan Horton, & Jenny LaVail
Days: Tuesday, Wednesdays and Fridays
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Location: S-176
First Day: Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Website: http://www.neuroscience.ucsf.edu/neurograd/courses/courses07-08.html
Description: Introduction to fundamental aspects of nervous system development, including neural determination, axon guidance, and neuron-target interactions, and overview of basics of integrative neural function, including sensory, motor and limbic systems, and computational neuroscience.

Course Number: NS221
Course Title: Current Topics in Neuroscience
Course Directors: Linda Noble & Antonello Bonci
Days: Tuesdays and Fridays
Location: C-130 and S-163
First day: N/A (Note: This is a year-long course. Students who wish to take in must sign up for it in the fall, winter and spring quarters (starting in the fall quarter).)
Website: http://www.neuroscience.ucsf.edu/neurograd/courses/courses07-08.html
Description: Students will read and discuss papers related to the current week’s formal Neuroscience Seminar series, attend the seminar, and meet with the speaker.

Course Number: NS230
Course Title: Topics in Membrane Biophysics and Synpatic Physiology
Course Director: Erik Ullian
Days: Mondays and Wednesdays (some Thursdays)
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 pm &Thursdays 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Location: N517 and N527
First day: January 2, 2008
Website: http://www.neuroscience.ucsf.edu/neurograd/courses/courses07-08.html
Description: Topics addressed in this course will include ligand- and voltage-sensitive calcium permeation, ion transport, exocytosis/endocytosis, calcium domains and buffering in the nerve terminal, transmitter release statistics, neuromodulation of ion channels, cotransmission, short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity, dendritic back propagation, lateral inhibition, and
integration.

Course Number: PC 230
Course Title: Fundamentals of NMR Spectroscopy
Course Director: Mark Kelly
Days: Tuesdays
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: MBGH S-202
First Day: Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Description: The course reviews practical applications on NMR spectroscopy to chemical and biological studies of small molecules and macromolecules.