The Chemistry of Life

Chemistry and biology are traditionally taught as separate subjects at the high school level, where students memorize fundamental scientific principles that are universally accepted. However, at the university level and in industry, we learn that science is not as simple as we once thought. We are constantly confronted by questions about the unknown and required to use creative, integrated approaches to solve these problems. By bringing together knowledge from multidisciplinary fields, we are empowered with the ability to generate new ideas. The goal of this course is to develop skills for generating new ideas at the interface between chemistry and biology by analyzing pioneering studies.

When should I register?
Registration will be open throughout the course. However, if a learner wants to receive a certificate, he/she should register by the end of April.

Lecturer

Professor Motonari Uesugi (Deputy Director, iCeMS, Kyoto University) is a leading expert in the field of chemical biology and has extensive teaching experience in the United States and Japan. He has taught similar classes in Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Course Description

The goal of this course is to develop skills for generating new ideas at the interface between chemistry and biology by analyzing pioneering studies. Chemistry and biology are traditionally taught as separate subjects at the high school level, where students memorize fundamental scientific principles that are universally accepted. However, at the university level and in industry, we learn that science is not as simple as we once thought.  We are constantly confronted by questions about the unknown and required to use creative, integrated approaches to solve these problems.  By bringing together knowledge from multidisciplinary fields, we are empowered with the ability to generate new ideas.

Prerequisites

None. However, knowledge of junior high school science is recommended.

Lectures

The material for each topic will be posted weekly. Students will have access to lecture notes and presentation slides, as well as videos of lectures, presented in short segments (~5 minutes each), which are followed by quizzes.

Assignments and grading criteria

By the end of this course, students are encouraged to complete three homework assignments, in which they must generate new research ideas based on lecture content. Homework assignments will first be evaluated and reviewed by peers, and noteworthy ideas will be evaluated directly by Prof. Uesugi. Some ideas will be shown in lectures without disclosing the names of the edX students.

To earn a certificate for this course, students must score 65% or more. The problem sets and homework assignments are worth 70% and 30% of the grade, respectively. The submission of at least 2 homework assignments (all 3 is even better!) is mandatory to receive a certificate. Homework 1 counts for 2% of the final grade while Homework 2 and 3 each count for 14% of the final grade. Certificates will be issued by edX under the name of KyotoUx.

After submitting your homework, please keep in mind that you also have to do self-assessment in addition to peer-review, as that portion also needs to be completed for you to receive your grade. It is not possible to edit your homework after submission. We therefore advise you to review the instructions carefully before submitting your homework. Do NOT wait until the very last minute to submit your homework, particularly for people with slow Internet connection.

Lecture schedule (2015)

• Week 1, April 9th, Introduction (Writing Chemical Structures), Homework
• Week 2, April 16th, Writing and Synthesizing DNA
• Week 3, April 23rd, DNA/RNA Applications
• Week 4, April 30th, Idea Generation Techniques, Homework
• Week 5, May 7th, Peer Evaluation
• Week 6, May 14th, Writing Amino Acids
• Week 7, May 21st, Writing and Synthesizing Proteins
• Week 8, May 28th, Combinatorial Chemistry & Chemical Genetics
• Week 9, June 4th, Fluorescent Molecules for Tracking Biology
• Week 10, June 11th, Fluorescent Proteins for Tracking Biology
• Week 11, June 25th, Review of Ideas (Homework Showcase), Homework
• Week 12, July 2nd, Peer Evaluation
• Week 13, July 9th, Ideas for Fooling Sugars and Fats
• Week 14, July 16th, Ideas for Fighting against Cancer & Virus
• Week 15, July 23rd, Review of Ideas (Homework Showcase)

This syllabus is subject to change.

Motonari Uesugi is a Professor of The Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences and Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University; Editorial Board Member of Chemistry & Biology (Cell Press) and MedChemComm (Royal Society of Chemistry); Editor of Biochemical Journal (London). After completing postdoctoral training in Harvard Chemistry Department, Dr. Uesugi started his independent career in Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, where he has established an interdisciplinary laboratory in the area of chemical biology.  He was tenured in Baylor in 2005, and moved to Kyoto University as a full professor in 2005. He is a recipient of Gold Medal Award, Tokyo TechnoForum 21 (2006), The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award for Divisional Scientific Promotions (2011) and German Innovation Award Gottfried Wagener Prize (2011). Dr. Uesugi and his co-workers aim to gain a fundamental understanding of biological events through the study of small molecules.

Naoko Tosa is a professor at the Institute for Information Management and Communication, Kyoto University. She is a program manager of KyotoUx and also a program manager of Kyoto University Open Course Ware since 2005. After receiving a Ph.D. for Art and Technology research from the University of Tokyo, She was a fellow at the Centre for Advanced Visual Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology during 2002 - 2004. In 2012 in EXPO Digital Gallery with a LED screen of 250mx30m at Yeosu Marine Expo in Korea, she exhibited her digital artwork called "Four God Flag," which symbolizes the idea of four traditional Asian gods connecting Asia. It was honored by Expo 2012 Committee.

Toru Iiyoshi is the director and a professor of the Center for the Promotion of Excellence in Higher Education (CPEHE) at Kyoto University. He serves as an advisor on the instructional design and evaluation of this KyotoUx course. His current areas of research include educational innovation and technology, open education, technology-enhanced scholarship of teaching and learning, and future higher education systems. Dr. Iiyoshi is a co-editor of the Carnegie Foundation book, "Opening Up Education: The Collective Advancement of Education through Open Technology, Open Content, and Open Knowledge" (MIT Press, 2008).

Amelie Perron is a Program Specific Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Chemical Research of Kyoto University. After completing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at McGill University (Canada), she conducted research on transcription factor inhibitors and fluorescent probes at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (Japan) and RIKEN Brain Science Institute (Japan), respectively. Her research interests include small molecule tools that modulate cell behavior.

Hiroyuki Sakai is an Associate Professor at the Center for the Promotion of Excellence in Higher Education (CPEHE) of Kyoto University. He serves as an advisor on the online course design and instructional development of this KyotoUx course. He completed his Ph.D. at Kobe University with a specialization in architectural acoustics. His current research focuses on educational development with technology in higher education.

Isanka Wijerathne is an assistant research engineer at Academic Center for Computing and Media Studies of Kyoto University. His role is develop standalone tools for the course and manage the course. He has graduated from Colombo university Sri Lanka with B.Sc. degree in 2008. After his graduation he joined to same university for two years as learning management system co-ordinator cum software developer. And he has served 3 years as a senior software engineer in Singapore for the e-learning sector.