Advanced Biochemistry

This course applies the principles of organic chemistry to biochemistry and explores enzymology through the lenses of mechanistic organic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, and catalysis. It covers how proteins orchestrate the reactivity of functional groups, the range of cofactors employed to extend the scope and diversity of biocatalysis, and how knowledge of enzyme reaction mechanisms enables modern drug design. The first half of the course focuses on the foundations of mechanistic enzymology, while the latter half covers natural product biosynthesis, metalloenzymes, and aspects of biological electron transfer.