Biological Physics: From single molecules to the cell

(4 Credits)

In this course students explore how biophysical approaches expanded our understanding of cellular processes beyond what is accessible using traditional techniques. Emphasis will be put on biologically relevant questions that state-of-the-art single molecule biophysical techniques were able to address. Topics include: biopolymer mechanics, protein-nucleic acid interaction, protein structure and dynamics, membrane dynamics, cytoskeletal dynamics, motor proteins, cell shape and motility, cell communication and cell-cell interaction, tissue mechanics. Understanding these processes will be framed within the realm of equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Examples of single molecule experiments that allowed testing and extending concepts of statistical physics will be discussed.