Biochemistry
Course overview
MBiochem Biochemistry
Typical intake: 3
Biochemistry is the study of life at the molecular level.
The College admits three undergraduates every year to read Biochemistry. It is essential to have A-level or equivalent in Chemistry plus another science or Mathematics. A-level Biology is not required because part of the first-year course provides the necessary biological background, although it is useful. Similarly, students without A-level Mathematics pick up all the required skills by taking the first year Quantitative Biochemistry course. Both pre- and post A-level applications are welcome.
The course begins with a general introduction to biochemistry in the first year, when five courses are taken, and gradually becomes more advanced and wider in scope. Throughout the course, tutorials provide an opportunity to explore and discuss the material encountered in lectures and practical classes. An important aspect of the Oxford course is the project in the fourth year, which allows students to explore both laboratory-based research and specific recent advances in biochemistry in detail. Undergraduates choose the project themselves, working either within the Biochemistry Department or in related institutes such as Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Pathology. Under the supervision of a group leader, students will design their own experiments. They will also learn to plan research programmes and present results and ideas – orally and in written form – to other workers in the field.
Tutors
Fellow & Tutor in Biochemistry
Dr Weston Struwe
Dr Weston Struwe
Fellow & Tutor in Biochemistry
Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow
Education
BSc (Wisconsin), PhD (New Hampshire)
I am a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow based in the Department of Chemistry and Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery. Prior to taking up my fellowship, I was Chief Scientific Officer of Refeyn, a University of Oxford spin-out based on mass photometry – a single molecule mass imaging technique I helped establish. I have been in Oxford since 2012, in both the Chemistry and Biochemistry Departments as a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Senior Research Associate where I studied the molecular mechanisms by which viruses glycosylate their surface proteins and developed new ways to understand how oligosaccharides interact with host receptors, innate immune lectin receptors and anti-viral lectins. Prior to moving to Oxford, I worked at the newly formed National Institute for Research and Training (NIBRT), a non-profit institute established to support research and education in biopharma globally. At NIBRT, I had the opportunity to work closely with a number of biotherapeutic companies to address various challenges in the analysis and process development of protein-based drugs. I obtained my BS from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and PhD from the University of New Hampshire.
Research in the Struwe Group centres on untangling the diverse and complex structure-function relationships of protein-linked oligosaccharides through the development of techniques that span protein engineering, chemical biology and mass spectrometry. Oligosaccharides, or glycans, are not only structurally diverse and contribute to remarkable protein heterogeneity but can be viewed as chemical elements that fine-tune protein biophysical properties and biomolecular interactions to various degrees.
The work we do focuses on host-pathogens interactions, principally among enveloped viruses, and our goal is to pin-point individual glycan structures, present among hundreds if not thousands of forms, responsible for discrete biological disease processes via the multivalent interactions they facilitate, including in receptor binding, immune recruitment and inflammation. A chemical understanding of such interactions is vital for designing next-generation therapeutics. Our approach is interdisciplinary but largely based on advanced methods in mass spectrometry and glycoprotein engineering strategies that enable us to study glycoprotein dynamics and transient, yet specific, glycan-dependent interactions.
College Lecturer in Biochemistry
Dr Naomi Petela
