Biochemistry Laboratory
MIT's laboratory course puts students through a research-inspired investigation of acquired resistance to the cancer drug Gleevec, spanning about two thirds of a semester. Students learn standard biochemical techniques including protein expression, purification, and gel analysis, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, kinase activity assays, and protein structure viewing, all applied to a live research question rather than a canned exercise. The course is part of MIT Chemistry's URIECA laboratory curriculum, which introduces undergraduates to cutting-edge research topics in a modular format, developed with funding from an HHMI Professors grant to Professor Catherine Drennan. Materials available through MIT OpenCourseWare include lab modules, technique background, and assignments, giving a full picture of how a modern biochemistry lab investigation is structured from protein production through activity assay and structural analysis.