The Biochemistry of Translational Medicine - BCH2104H
This course will focus on reviewing scientific articles that use biochemistry and/or cell biology to help better understand human diseases. Emphasis will be on published scholarly work that provides examples of translational medicine or “bench-to-bedside” approach, which aims to expedite the discovery of new diagnostics and treatments.
- The first session will be an intro by both of us (~1h) followed by a discussion led by us about a paper (~1h).
- The intro will include some tips on how to present an article, etc.
- The other sessions will be 2 x 1 h sessions where one student presents a recent paper that provides an exciting example of an application of biochemistry to translational medicine (a second student will present another article during the second hour).
- Each student will be free to choose an article themselves or use one from the bank of articles provided by us (typically a very recent article published in of-of the top journals, such as Cell, Science, Nature, Nat Med, Nat Genetics, JCI, Sci Translat Med, etc.).
- Each student will also have to provide a short write-up (max 250 words) about their research project that would be an abstract that could be read by a layperson (i.e., grade 7-8 education) + a relevant title. This is an important exercise because it is required for most grants that anyone submits.
- The format delineated above may need to be slightly amended depending on the number of students who end up enrolling for the class and do not withdraw.
Course Dates:
Start Date: Oct 14, 2025
End Date: Nov 25, 2025
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Oct 14 1h Session #1 - intro x 1h
Oct 21 2h Session #2 - 2 students present
Oct 30 2h Session #3 - 2 students
Nov 4 2h Session #4 - 2 students present
Nov 18 2h Session #5 - 2 students present
Nov 25 ~2h Session #6 - 1 student presents + ~1 hour
Location:
PGCRL building, Room 8-9701
Method of Student Evaluation:
- journal club presentation (70%)
- participation in other students’ presentations (20%)
- lay abstract (10%)
Course Coordinators:
Mathieu Lemaire, Aleixo Muise
Enrollment Limit:
10