Course Number
545.614
Course Format
In-person

The prediction of protein structure from the amino acid sequence has been a grand challenge for more than 50 years. With recent progress in research, it is now possible to blindly predict many protein structures and even to design new structures from scratch. This class will introduce the fundamental concepts in protein structure, biophysics, optimization, and informatics that have enabled the breakthroughs in computational structure prediction and design. Problems covered will include protein folding and docking, design of ligand-binding sites, design of turns and folds, and design of protein interfaces. Classes will consist of lectures and handson computer workshops. Students will learn to use molecular visualization tools and write programs with the PyRosetta protein structure software suite, including a computational project. Prerequisite(s): Programming experience is helpful but not required.