Protein Folding and Assembly, from molecule to disease

Course goals

At the end of this course:

1. You will have acquired sufficient knowledge for understanding and evaluating interdisciplinary research articles and scientific lectures in the field of protein folding and assembly
2. You will have an overview of the available methods for characterising proteins and biomolecular interactions in vitro, in living cells and in model organisms, and you will obtain hands-on experience with one or more of these techniques 
3. You will have gained an insight into the way research laboratories formulate and study hypotheses, and you will be able to develop interdisciplinary project plans within a team
4. You will learn how to write a research proposal 
5. You will learn to present the results of your research proposal at the level of a scientific talk

The broader aim of the course is to provide students with intellectual and technical skills as an excellent basis for a master programme in the molecular life sciences

Content

Proteins are the molecular machines of the living cell, and need to fold into their correct three-dimensional conformations in order to function. During the course, we will explore how proteins “know” what shape they should fold up into following their synthesis, how they cluster into dynamic macromolecular complexes, and how protein quality control is ensured in the complex environment of cells and multicellular organisms.
 
Key questions that are currently being investigated in the field of protein folding and assembly are: How can molecules assemble almost error-free into complex machines? How can cellular factors such as molecular chaperones guide these processes? Why do some proteins never fold? What happens to proteins when they are damaged? What happens when proteins aggregate? Are there strategies to develop molecular therapies against protein folding diseases, such as Alzheimer, Parkinson or mad cow disease?
 
Students will be trained to develop and write a research proposal on a related topic, which they will subsequently execute in the lab. The course is accompanied by lectures to provide the required theoretical knowledge.