Everything the chemist needs to know about biology, but is afraid to ask!
Event preview: Biology for chemists residential course, Nottingham, June 2008
 The SCI Young Chemists’ Panel of
the Fine Chemicals Group will
again be running its popular
‘Biology for Chemists’ residential
meeting on 23–24 June 2008. Now
running for the second time in its
present format, this highly successful
course will be held in
Nottingham. It aims to give practising
chemists working in the pharmaceutical
and related industries
a greater understanding of biology
and how it relates to the chemical
sciences.
The course will be of particular
interest to chemists working in
multidisciplinary drug discovery
teams who want to gain greater
insight into the field of their biological
colleagues, hence fostering
more productive interactions between
the disciplines. It will teach
key concepts of biology and show
how this knowledge can be used
to improve chemical design and
therefore streamline the drug discovery
process.
The course is informal
and interactive, involving
both lectures and small group
workshops, which will be supported
by detailed handouts and
reference material.
The course is run by three outstanding
tutors: Dr Chris Hamilton
(School of Chemical Sciences and
Pharmacy, University of East
Anglia); Dr Kirsty Line (Biocatalysis
Centre, University of Exeter); and
Dr Terry Smith (Centre for
Biomolecular Sciences, University
of St Andrews).
Topics to be covered include:
- Basic architecture of the cell
- The central dogma of molecular
biology (DNA to RNA to protein
to function)
- Enzymat ic catalysis and
biochemical pathways
- Applied microbiology, structural
biology and bioinformatics
- Post-translational modifications
and cell signalling
- Biocatalysts as synthetic tools
- Chemical and genetic validation
of drug targets
- Chemical proteomics
Delegates will come away with a
basic foundation of biological
knowledge and literacy, and also
an appreciation of the inseparable
interdependence of the chemical
and life sciences.
Emphasis is placed on presenting
the course material from a
chemical perspective and the importance
of chemists being able
to grasp and converse in common
biological concepts.
SCI Young Chemists’ Panel
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