Høst 2026

KJE-2002 Biological chemistry - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for kjemi

Type of course

Theoretical with one compulsory practical assignment. The course is available as a singular or elective course independent of study program, also to exchange-students. The course is offered on condition that a minimum number of students register for the course.

Course overlap

K-241 Organic structural chemistry 10 ects

Course contents

Biological chemistry is the study of biologically active molecules (biomolecules) and their involvement in chemical processes in living organisms. The course covers essential biomolecules, including amino acids (proteins), carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and their combination into functional biomolecular assemblies. Biotechnological methods used to characterize their structure and function are presented in overview.Emphasis is placed on enzymology (including kinetics, inhibition and regulation), metabolism of major nutrient classes (carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids/proteins and nucleotides), receptors and signaling molecules, and fundamental processes of molecular biology (replication, transcription, translation and mutation).

Admission requirements

Formal prerequisites:

Applicants from Nordic countries: KJE-1001 or equivalent

International applicants: Higher Education Entrance Qualification and certified language requirements in English. It is a requirement that students have some prior knowledge of chemistry and/or biology (participants must have taken introductory level university courses, and achieved pass grades, in these subjects).

A list of the requirements for the Higher Education Entrance Qualification in Norway can be found on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education website - nokut.no

Application code: 9197 (Nordic applicants).

Objective of the course

Knowledge

The student:

understands the basic structural features of biological molecules and how they are assembled from their building blocks

understands the chemical interactions that determine the structure and stability of biomolecules

has knowledge of fundamental aspects of enzyme function, including catalysis, regulation and kinetics

has knowledge of metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids/proteins and nucleotides

has insight into how key biomolecular assemblies (such as the ribosome and pore structures) are formed and how they function

understands key processes of intra- and intercellular biosignalling

has general knowledge of important structure determination methods and their strengths and weaknesses

Skills

The student can:

describe and distinguish intra- and inter-molecular interactions involved in biomolecular structure and function

describe the main functions and mechanisms of key biomolecules and macromolecular assemblies

outline central biological processes such as DNA replication, protein synthesis, and virus structure and replication

recognize the distinction between experimentally determined and hypothesized macromolecular structures in scientific and popular literature

describe examples of molecular origins of selected diseases

General competence

The student:

can integrate chemical principles to understand biological systems at the molecular level

has a foundation for further studies involving metabolism, molecular regulation and biomolecular function

has developed a general understanding of biological chemistry that supports further work within chemistry and related life-science disciplines

Language of instruction

The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, and may be answered in either English or a Norwegian/Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Lectures: 36 h, Seminars: 18 h, Laboratory: 4-6 h Computer-based assignment.