Courses
Introduction to Glycoscience
(Chem 142 / 242)
OFFERED: Every Fall Quarter
The primary aim is to provide an overview of fundamental facts, concepts, and methods in glycoscience. The course is structured around major themes in the field starting from basic understanding of structure and molecular interactions of carbohydrates, to the mechanisms of their biological functions in normal and disease states, to their applications in materials science and energy generation. This is a lecture course geared to introduce undergraduates and graduate students with limited prior exposure to the field, supported by selected readings and class notes.
Prerequisites: Organic Chemistry sequence and Biochemistry are required. Additionally, one course in either General Biology, Molecular Biology, or Cell Biology is strongly encouraged. Or, advance approval by instructors.
Course Directors: Kamil Godula / Jeffrey Esko
Contact: Tracy Gilstrap, tgilstrap@health.ucsd.edu
Current Literature in Glycobiology (MED 246/BIOM 246/CMM 246)
Offered Fall, Winter, Spring Quarters, Fridays, 12:00-1:00 PM
Current Literature in Glycobiology is a one-credit elective that provides a forum for informally discussing current papers in glycobiology research and for developing critical thinking skills in the field. Topics include glycan chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology in animals, plants, and microorganisms, as well as medical aspects of glycobiology. Typically, 20-25 students, post-docs, and faculty attend the meeting on a weekly basis. Registration for the course (1 credit per quarter) is done through the registrar's office.
Course Director: Philip Gordts
Contact: Tracy Gilstrap, tgilstrap@health.ucsd.edu
Advances in Glycobiology (MED 225/CHEM 237/BIOM 222/BGGN 236/CMM 225)
OFFERED: Every other Spring quarter. Next offering Spring 2025
This is an advanced elective for upper-level undergraduates, graduate, and health sciences students who have taken Introduction to Glycoscience (Chem 142/242) and courses in cell biology or biochemistry. The course consists of discussions of classic papers leading to modern concepts in glycobiology, with the objective of exploring the structure, metabolism, and function of glycans in biological systems. Students develop a sense of the history of the field, seminal discoveries, and how these discoveries led to changes in the way scientists think about glycans. Students will make 1-2 presentations in consultation with a faculty member.
Course Directors: Jeffrey D. Esko / Kamil Godula
Contact: Tracy Gilstrap, tgilstrap@health.ucsd.edu
GlycoBootcamp
OFFERED: Every Summer Quarter
The format for this two-week summer workshop consists of a series of tutorials and hands-on exercises where trainees will learn how to isolate and characterize GSLs, GAGs, N-linked and O-linked glycans from mouse tissues, comparing a disease model to wild type mice. The trainees generate real world data that will be formatted for presentation as a conference proceeding. In addition, trainees gain basic skills in histological analysis of glycans in tissue slices, metabolic glycan engineering in cell culture and the construction of glycan arrays. This is a high-intensity, focused, short course, which balances the presentation of the theory behind individual methods with practical demonstration and scholar participation.
Course Directors: Philip Gordts / Kamil Godula
Contact: Tracy Gilstrap, tgilstrap@health.ucsd.edu
GRTC Co-Sponsored Seminar Series
The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine co-sponsors with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Department of Biology a seminar series with invited speakers from other universities and industry. The Glycobiology Research and Training Center jointly sponsors seminars in this series that are specifically related to glycobiology research. A complete schedule of seminars can be found on the CMM Seminar Series Calendar.