Physical Biology of the Cell 2

Biological cells are complex biochemical systems that obey the laws of physics. Modern research in molecular and cell biology therefore increasingly relies on physical concepts. In Physical Biology of the Cell 1 you learned how to utilise such concepts to model cellular phenotypes on a macroscopic scale. In Physical Biology of the Cell 2 you will transfer this approach to the molecular scale and learn how signalling cascades, and (experimental) models to interpret them, are essential as we build our molecular understanding of cellular phenomena such as information processing, translocation across membranes, and mechanobiological signalling.

In this course you will learn how to connect concepts from biology and biophysics with observations from biochemistry and physics to describe this diversity of cellular processes and to understand their molecular basis. You will then apply these concepts to concrete examples in which you will establish quantitative models for the regulation of biochemical cascades and circuits, the functional dynamics of molecular machines and processes related to translocation and the propagation and processing of biological signals.

Students will be assessed according to the study goals as formulated above. The exam consists of open questions as well as multiple choice questions probing your understanding of the study goals. The exam will be conducted in a computerized format.

• To pass the course you need at least a 5.5 for the exam.

• If your exam grade is lower than 5.5, your assignment and presentation grades do not count towards your final grade.

Grading

Track 1

Final exam (70% of the final grade, individual)

Presentation (20% of the final grade, teams)

Homework assignments (10% of the final grade, individual)

Homework assignments will be assessed on a pass/fail scale.

Track 2

Final exam (80% of the final grade, individual)

Presentation (20% of the final grade, teams)

Students will decide between track 1 and track 2 within two weeks after the start of the course.

• The written exam is scheduled for week Q2.10 and the resit for Q3.10

• Your presentation and homework assignment grades can be carried over for 1 year

• Students needing to turn work in late due to personal circumstances must contact the Academic Counsellor prior to turning it in to make arrangements. Other late work might not be graded.