Curriculum

First-year students meet individually with their class advisors to discuss their background and interests, and together they design a course of study to complement the student's existing training.

Students are required to complete four required science courses. View a list of courses students commonly take.

In addition to these four courses, Chemical biology first-year students enroll in three courses that help prepare them for the practice of science. In addition to the many options within Harvard, students may also register for classes at MIT.

Fall Semester

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 101: The Chemistry and Biology of Therapeutics. This course will cover the chemical and biological principles that govern small molecule therapeutics. We will discuss small molecule conformational analysis, chemical forces that drive small molecule-protein interactions, and small molecule binding to proteins to affect disease states. We will also discuss how protein targets are identified and the frontiers of modern small molecule therapeutics. Protein targets include, but are not limited to kinases, proteases, GTPases, scaffolding proteins, epigenetic modifiers, metabolic enzymes and transcription factors. This course will teach students how to use modern computer modeling applications to perform structure-based design of small molecule ligands

Year Long

ChemBio300: Introduction to Chemical Biology. The course is an evening seminar featuring weekly lectures by program faculty which serves to acquaint first-year students with the major research themes of the program faculty and helps them decide on research rotations and evaluate potential dissertation advisors.

January Term

ChemBio2200: Tools and Methods in Chemical Biology. This course will provide a survey of major topics, technologies, and themes in Chemical Biology, with hands-on exposure to a variety of experimental approaches

Spring Semester: BCMP236 or BCMP250

BCMP 236: Principles of Drug Action in People. This course will discuss principles of drug discovery drug modalities and drug pharmacology. In the first part of the course, fundamental aspects of receptor and enzyme targeting agents, drug mechanism, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acid drugs will be described. In the second part of the course, pharmacology of therapeutics that act on the cardiovascular, immunologic, and central nervous systems will be covered. The course will include frontier lectures on antiviral agents, cardiac drugs, and treatments for brain diseases and a journal club on specialized topics in drug discovery.  A range of knowledgeable instructors enlisted from the Harvard Medical School faculty and pharmaceutical scientists will participate in teaching this course.

BCMP250: Biophysical and Biochemical Mechanisms of Protein Function. This course focuses on the molecular mechanisms that underlie essential biochemical processes such as signal transduction. Major topics include biochemical thermodynamics and conformational equilibria, protein structure and folding, receptor pharmacology, allostery, and enzymatic mechanisms of signaling. The course includes both content lectures and research frontiers seminars focused on current research in biochemistry with an emphasis on signal transduction in therapeutically relevant pathways.

Second Year

MedSci300: Conduct of Science. The course follows a discussion group format in which 8-12 students meet with a faculty member who leads discussions on the ethical and responsible conduct of research.