Track: BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Assen Marintchev
Boston University School of Medicine
This workshop will introduce the concepts of thermodynamic coupling and binding kinetics in the context of biochemical experiments, with emphasis on practical applications and common mistakes. Learn how to properly plan, perform, and analyze binding experiments and avoid common mistakes: 1) How to use thermodynamic coupling to indirectly calculate a binding Kd from the Kds of coupled interactions, if direct determination is impossible or difficult, 2) How to compare binding constants to determine whether they are mutually consistent, 3) How to determine whether and when two or more molecules bind to each other in vivo, 4) How to quantitatively evaluate experimental binding constants: what they mean for the underlying biological process, whether they are physically possible.
Who should attend: Ph.D. students, postdocs and faculty members.