Advances in Medical and Plant Biochemistry

Rapid advances in plant and animal biochemistry over recent years have fundamentally changed fields of science ranging from medicine to agriculture and food security. This course will present these recent advances exploring both the specifics and commonalities that exist in biochemistry when comparing mammalian and plant systems. The medical biochemistry stream will cover topics such as cancer metabolism, personalised immunology, molecular mechanisms related to drug development, ion channel function and aspects of translational medicine. In the plant stream, topics to be covered include plant disease, CO2 fixation, photosynthesis and climate change. Lectures will be presented from experts from both the John Curtin School of Medical Research and the Research School of Biology. This course offers an excellent opportunity for students to understand how biochemistry impacts everyday life, and expand their knowledge of biochemistry across a platform of diverse and important disciplines. Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.