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Quick Facts

Medium Of Instructions	Mode Of Learning	Mode Of Delivery
English	Self Study	Video and Text Based

Course Overview

The Structural Biology certification syllabus has been purposefully designed for Biological Sciences, Biosciences, and Bioengineering students. Over 12 weeks, it will educate you on structural units forming biological macromolecules. Their hierarchies, pros & cons, and visualizing 3D structure files will also be discussed.

Approved by AICTE, the Structural Biology course by Swayam will also introduce you to molecular dynamics using various case studies. So, you will know how to apply the acquired knowledge effectively.

The Structural Biology certification course links biological events to deduce how biological macromolecules are folded, generated, and become functional. As such, the course will equip you to take on further advanced studies in drug designing and macromolecule-based engineering.

Swayam offers the Structural Biology program at an introductory level. Replete with case studies, books, and references, the course ensures you have a holistic learning experience. And if you want to certify your learnings, you can also take the certification exam and obtain the course certificate.

The Highlights

Introductory course
A course by IIT Roorkee
Online learning
E-certificate
Free enrolment
UG/PG level course
A course in Biological Science and Bioengineering
Case studies
FDP course
Approved by AICTE

Programme Offerings

online learning
Free registration
UG/PG level course
course certificate
introductory course
Weekly lectures

Courses and Certificate Fees

Fees Informations	Certificate Availability	Certificate Providing Authority
INR 1000	yes	IIT Roorkee

You don't need to pay to enroll in the Structural Biology course by Swayam.
The course certificate costs Rs 1,000.

The Structural Biology fee structure

Course Option	Fee
Structural Biology (Program content access only)	FREE
Structural Biology (Certificate + course content access)	Rs. 1,000

Eligibility Criteria

While there are no specific prerequisites for registering in the Structural Biology program, having a basic knowledge of Biology will help in comfortable learning.

Moreover, Swayam only offers the Structural Biology certificate to candidates who meet the two qualification conditions. Your average assignment score should be >= 10/25, and your exam score needs to be >= 30/75.

25% of your average assignment score, calculated using 8 of your assignments with the best scores, and 75% of your exam score are added to determine the final score. Your final score must be >= 40/100 to qualify for the course certificate.

What you will learn

Knowledge of Biology

Structural Biology online course will help you master the following topics:

Protein architecture
Structural Biology techniques
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
3D Structure visualisation
Molecular dynamics
Macromolecular Crystallography
Protein folding
Enzymes

Who it is for

Veterinary Doctor

Students and research scientists studying/working in disciplines like Pharmaceuticals, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Chemistry, and related programs can benefit from taking the Structural Biology course by Swayam. Veterinarians and clinicians who want to undertake research can also join this introductory course.

Admission Details

Step 1: Use the web link https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc21_bt14/preview to access the Structural Biology online course by Swayam.

Step 2: Now, find the 'Register/Sign-up' button on the webpage and tap it. Swayam's online registration page will open.

Step 3: You can log in via social accounts (Swayam/Facebook/Microsoft/Google) or start a new learning account by providing the details as asked. Once registered, fill the online form.

Step 4: Swayam will notify you by sending a mail to your registered email ID on successful enrolment.

Application Details

The structural Biology program has a dedicated application form that you need to fill out. You can access it by signing up on Swayam. To do so, you must provide a username, password, and email address to complete the form and press 'submit'. You will receive an email on successful registration.

The Syllabus

Introduction

Flow of the history of biological inventions
Basic Biological Macromolecules of life, i.e., Protein, Nucleic Acid, Carbohydrates & Lipid/Fat
A comparison between polymers and "3C"ecrets of covalent bond, nucleic acid, DNA sequencing, PCR innovation
Gene sequencing to genome sequencing
Introduction to NGS and its different platforms
Arrival of Post Genomic Era
The effect of HGP
Experimental three-dimensional structure determination techniques

Protein

Amino acids and their properties
Protein Chemistry
Chirality
Peptide bond
Levels of protein structures
Dihedral angles
Peptide bond and Ramachandran Plot
Super Secondary Structures
Motif
Domains
Non-covalent interactions
Folding of Protein
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of protein folding
Characterization of Proteins

Introduction to Structural Biology Techniques

Cellular organization
Resolution structure determining technique with their ranges of the resolution
The success of X-ray crystallography from single molecule to a crystal
X-ray Crystallography
Crystallization in X-ray Crystallography
Crystal mounting in X-ray Crystallography

X-ray Crystallography

Production of X-ray and its properties
Unit cell
Symmetry and lattice
The geometry of the crystal system
Crystal Symmetry
Instrumentation in X-ray Crystallography
Data collection and processing

X-ray Crystallography

Data Analysis of X-ray Crystallography - Diffraction Patterns
Indexing
Bragg's Law
Laue equation
Relation between "Laue equation and Bragg's Law"
Lattice Transformation
Ewald Sphere
Laue Condition for Diffraction and Ewald Sphere
Structure Factors and Diffraction Pattern
Atomic Scattering Factor
Anomalous Dispersion
Analytical expression of the phase
Fourier Transformation
Introduction to Phase Problem
Phase problem - Phase Problem
Patterson Function
How to solve phase problem
Heavy atom replacement methods
Isomorphous replacement
Anomalous dispersion
Phase problem associated with crystal diffraction and common techniques to recover phase resolving different phase improvement methods
Refinement and Structure deposition to PDB - aspects of structure refinement, motivation, application, The procedure of simulated annealing, PDB repository, atomic model deposition as well as different PDB validation suites

NMR

Introduction to NMR
Basic Principles of NMR and Instrumentation
NMR Sample Preparation and Chemical Shift related concepts
Factors effecting NMR Spectra (1D & 2D), 2D & 3D NMR Spectroscopy focusing on protein structure

Spectroscopy

Introduction to Spectroscopy
UV-Vis and CD spectroscopy
Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP)
Infrared & Raman Spectroscopy for protein
Raman Spectroscopy
Raman Microscopy and Raman Crystallography for studying protein

Microscopy

Introduction to Microscopy
Functioning details of Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM)
Cryo-Electron Microscopy: Data Collection and Analysis
A concise story of advancement Cryo-EM
Protein Data Bank

Molecular Visualizations

History of Molecular Visualizations of Biological Macromolecules
Description of structure-related files (.pdb, .mmcif, .mtz, etc.)
Demonstration of COOT
3D visualization using Pymol
Demonstration of Pymol

Molecular Dynamic Simulation

Why we need MD Simulation
Molecular Dynamic Simulation Process
Build a realistic atomistic model of the system
The algorithm behind simulation process
Concept of Topology and Parameter files
Major components in a force field, the concept of solvation
Solvent models
Periodic Boundary Condition
Concept of Central Simulation Box
Phase Space
Concept of Ensembles
Energy Minimization (EM)
Potential energy surface (PES)
Determination of EM
Types of EM methods and their algorithms
Steps in MD Simulation
Application of Molecular Dynamic Simulation

Protein Engineering

What, How & Which of Protein Engineering
How to make logical Protein Engineering: Process of Rational design
A success story of Rational Protein designing: Focusing on De Novo Process
Designing Protein by mimicking nature: Process of Directed Evolution
Achievement, Challenges and Future direction in the field of Protein Engineering

Structure-Based Drug Discovery

Introduction to Structure-Based Drug Discovery (SBDD)
Rational Drug Discovery
Docking Based Virtual Screening: Progress, Challenges and Future perspective
What makes a small molecule an ideal drug: Developing in silico ADMETox Model
Structure-Based Drug Discovery: Case study and Conclusion

Evaluation process

You must appear for the optional certification exam conducted by Swayam to receive the Structural Biology certificate. The exam will take place in person at one of Swayam's designated exam centers, and it will be proctored.

Exams are held in two slots, namely morning session (9 AM – 12 noon) and afternoon session (2 PM – 5 PM). You can register once they announce the exam and open the portal.

Instructors

IIT Roorkee Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

1: I don't have a basic knowledge of Biology. Can I still join?

Yes. Having a basic knowledge of Biology may have helped, but since the Structural Biology program is offered at the introductory level, you can still join it.

2: What does coursework involve?

Other than the weekly lectures, there will be assignments, case studies, and one optional proctored exam towards the course end.

3: Is the Structural Biology course AICTE approved?

Yes. It is an AICTE-approved FDP for Faculty Development Program.

4: Are instructions only in English?

Yes. The entire curriculum will be instructed in English.

5: Will the course certificate mention my final score?

Yes. The Structural Biology certificate will also have your name and photograph along with your final score.