Structural Biology MRes

Birkbeck, University of London

The MRes Structural Biology is an intensive, high-quality introduction to research in structural and computational biology, which are key to the dissection of macromolecular 'machines' and cellular pathways of medical interest. This course offers both taught components and extensive research experience for students with backgrounds in biological, chemical and physical sciences. It is particularly suitable for those who wish to gain both theoretical and practical research experience in the techniques of structural biology. Our research areas include: Molecular chaperones, amyloid fibrils, pore-forming toxins M. tuberculosis, cytoskeletal proteins Signal transduction, bacterial pathogenesis and DNA replication Electron microscopy, cytoskeletal dynamics and function Electron cryo-microscopy; electron tomography and image processing; development of methods for recognition and separation of heterogeneous molecular complexes; bacteriophage assembly; structural analysis of the transcription factor p53 DNA repair Protein folding and misfolding, in particular at the point of synthesis on intact ribosomes Viral protein-nucleic acid interactions. This course primarily follows a daytime timetable but also involves some evening classes.