Prerequisites

You need the following to enroll in CH 495/CH 795...

- Good performance in 2 semesters of undergraduate organic chemistry

- 1 semester of undergraduate biochemistry or equivalent (details below)

*see MedChem Prerequisites Form for details

Biochemistry prerequisites can be achieved in a number of ways. The particular biochemistry course is less important than knowing the following:

(1) core biochemical structures: amino acids, sugars, lipids, peptides, nucleic acids, cofactors

(2) properties of proteins including 1°, 2°, 3°, and 4° structure

(3) metabolic pathways (glycolysis, Krebs cycle, fatty acid biosynthesis, etc.)

(4) principles of enzyme function (catalysis and cofactors)

(5) receptor–ligand docking

(6) the central dogma of molecular biology

(7) key features of cell biology

It is often said (by organic chemists!) that biochemistry courses are more memorization than conceptual and mechanistic, and regardless if that is correct, certainly there is a great deal of terminology that needs to be assimilated in a first biochemistry course.  Having that knowledge in hand is essential for success in MedChem.