RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

16:750:567/16:848:507 Physics of Living Matter (3 credits)

 

 

Professor:           Sang-Hyuk Lee

                            Office Location: Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine 308A

                            Office Phone: (848) 445 5286

                            Email: shlee@physics.rutgers.edu

 

Course Description: This course is designed to introduce biophysics to upper-level physics undergraduate and graduate students. The course will start with a review of big ideas in modern molecular/cellular biology to familiarize physics students with the language used in life science. Thereafter, basic physical principles underling structure and dynamics of macromolecules, such as diffusion, random walks, low Reynolds-number hydrodynamics, entropic force, and osmotic pressure, will be discussed in the light of soft matter physics. Life cannot persist without constant mechanical work of numerous molecular machines inside cells. The working principles of these molecular machines will be studied in more detail through enzyme kinetics and mechano-chemical coupling. Recent developments in biophysical methods that have enabled testing of many physical models in biology will be covered as well.

 

TEXTBOOK (required for this course)

P. Nelson, Biological Physics: Student Edition (2020).     

 

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

B. Alberts and D. Bray, The Essential Cell Biology, 4th Ed., Garland Science (2013).

 

B. Alberts and A. Johnson, The Molecular Biology of the Cell, 6th Ed (2014).

 

R. Phillips and J. Kondev, Physical Biology of the Cell, 2nd Ed (2012).

 

PREREQUISITES

Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Thermodynamic, Statistical Mechanics and Classical Physics (at the junior level)

 

GRADING POLICY

The course grade will be determined as follows:

 

         Attendance:                           10%

         Homework:                            20%

         Review Paper:                       60%

         Final Presentation:                10% 

 

 

COURSE OUTLINE & SCHEDULE

          Lecture

Week

Topic

Reading (Nelson)

1

week 1

Intro to cell molecular / cellular biology I

Ch 2

2

Intro to cell molecular / cellular biology II

Ch 2

3

week 2

Intro to cell molecular / cellular biology III / Molecular Dance I

Ch 3.1

4

Molecular Dance II

Ch 3.2-3

5

week 3

Random Walks I

Ch 4.1-3

6

Random Walks II

Ch 4.4-6

7

week 4

Random Walks III / Hydrodynamics at low Reynolds-Number I

Ch 5.1

8

Hydrodynamics at low Reynolds-Number II

Ch 5.2

9

week 5

Hydrodynamics at low Reynolds-Number III

Ch 5.3

10

Entropy, Temperature, and Free Energy I

Ch 6.1-3

11

week 6

Entropy, Temperature, and Free Energy II

Ch 6.4-6

12

Entropy, Temperature, and Free Energy II / Entropic Force I

Ch 7.1

13

week 7

Entropic Force II

Ch 7.2-3

 

14

Entropic Force III

Ch 7.4-5

15

week 8

Chemical Forces and Self-Assembly  I

Ch 8.1-2

16

Chemical Forces and Self-Assembly  II

Ch 8.3-4

17

week 9

Chemical Forces and Self-Assembly III

Ch 8.5-6

18

Cooperative Transitions in Macromolecules I

Ch 9.1

19

week 10

Cooperative Transitions in Macromolecules II

Ch 9.2 - 9.5.2

20

Cooperative Transitions in Macromolecules III

Ch 9.5.3 - 9.6

21

week 11

Enzymes and Molecular Machines I

Ch 10.1-2

22

Enzymes and Molecular Machines II

Ch 10.3

23

week 12

Enzymes and Molecular Machines III

Ch 10.4

24

Machines in Membranes I

Ch 11.1-2

25

week 13

Machines in Membranes II

Ch 11.2-3

25

Machines in Membranes III

Ch 11.3-4

27

week 14

Final Presentation