Selected course highlights

This trailer provides an overview about what to expect from this online course.

In addition, below we highlight a few selected steps from across the whole course that are particularly topical. Clicking on the heading to each link will take you to that particular part of the course where you can see a preview of the material, then simply click the back button on your browser to return to this step.

All material delivered in this course over the next 3 weeks has been developed by staff from the University of East Anglia and Biochemical Society. All content is relevant to Biochemistry and our aim is to highlight some areas that will be exciting in the next few years.

Week 3: Step 3.15

^{Professor Tom Shakespeare discusses the ethics of gene editing}

Advances in gene editing technology mean that it is now ready to be used with humans. During the summer of 2017 this topic became headline news across the globe when it was reported that scientists had repaired defects in human embryos. In this discussion Professor Shakespeare highlights that important ethical issues must be considered before these methods can be used widely.

Week 2: Step 2.2

^{Timeline for biochemistry: metabolism and bioenergetics}

Biochemistry helps provide us with a deeper understanding of cellular metabolism and bioenergetics. These processes have the potential to produce novel solutions to many current global challenges. In this step we provide an overview of important developments over the past 100 years, which leads on to discussions about how we may be able to exploit these biochemical processes.

Week 3: Step 3.12

^{Synthetic biology explained}

Our understanding of biology is now merging with the principles of engineering in the developing topic of synthetic biology, offering enormous opportunities to use biological systems for the benefit of humans and our natural environment. This video highlights some recent exciting research in this rapidly developing area.

Week 2: Step 2.13

^{Future developments in bioenergy are introduced}

Current global challenges include issues around global energy security, global food security and global water security. This video highlights how research involving biochemistry may be able to help identify solutions to some of these problems. Examples described in this video demonstrate a growing demand for skilled scientists who understand biochemistry because they will help develop new solutions to global challenges.