Admission requirements
Elective course in MSc Life Science and Technology, MSc Chemistry.
Students with a BSc degree in LST, MST, or BSc degree in Biology/Chemistry or equivalent can enroll in this course. It is recommended to have a basic understanding of biochemistry.
Description
Alternative title for the course:
X-Ray Crystallography: From Fundamentals to Applications in Biomedical Research.
Proteins are the workhorses of the human body, orchestrating a myriad of functions essential for life. They enable movement, thought, immune responses, regulate heartbeats, and even facilitate digestion. Understanding their structure has been crucial in developing therapeutics for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Additionally, proteins in pathogens have been key targets, leading to the development of medications against HIV, influenza, and malaria.
X-ray crystallography is currently the most effective method for structure-based drug design. This course introduces the fundamental principles of X-ray crystallography through a blend of lectures and hands-on practical exercises. Students will gain practical experience in protein crystallization and structure determination. In student seminars, we will discuss the mode of action of therapeutics targeting diseases like cancer, diabetes, and infections. Through this course, students will develop a robust understanding of X-ray crystallography and its applications in modern biomedical research.
Course Objectives
Students will learn to:
Set up protein crystallization experiments
Process diffraction data
Perform structure modeling and refinement of proteins and protein-small molecule complexes
Validate the quality of X-ray structures
Create figures and animations for publications
Analyze and present the mode of action of therapeutics against various diseases in literature seminars
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of Instruction
Lecture, seminar, practical exercises
Assessment method
Students will be evaluated based on a final exam and their presentations in the student seminars, where they will discuss structural biology publications related to disease-relevant topics.
Reading list
It is recommended to revisit and further explore the course content by reading “Biomolecular Crystallography – Bernhard Rupp – 1st edition – ISBN: 978-0-8153-4081-2”.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Dr. S.R.J. Geibel, Dr. S. Brünle
Remarks
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.