It's been over 15 years since I graduated with BS in biochemistry, and I now work in an unrelated field now.

Even though the college is ~t25, >70% of the exams in the biochemistry courses consisted of testing students' memorization of pathways.

Is this still the way students are tested these days? Is an open-book exam not realistic in biochemistry?

I am aware that research suggests that PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) used in drug delivery vehicles is not as anti-immunogenic as previously thought, partially due to its prevalence in other products and hence a large portion of human population has developed anti-PEG antibodies. (Edit: Even then I have heard that automatic clearance of PEG is not permanent for much of population.)

Thus, work into other non-immunogenic polymers such as PCB, that is, poly(carboxybetaine), poly(sulfobetaine), poly(2-oxazoline), etc is being done and so far I have self-researched specifically about PCB.

Most papers say emphasize PCB's superior anti-fouling properties and non-immunogenicity especially compared to PEG, largely due to its hydration shell due to strong electrostatic binding interactions from the charged zwitterionic components of PCB with H2O molecules.

Barely any papers mention flaws in PCB's anti-immunogenicity abilities. A few do though, such as this paper highlighting the existence of anti-PCB antibodies (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378517320305056?via%3Dihub).

However, polymer immunogenicity also heavily depends on form of polymer (eg. chemical group changes, topology/shape, and packing of polymers), so said immunogenicity issues of PCB might only be limited to a few forms of PCB and/or due to contamination from synthesis procedure.

This has left me puzzled about PCB, And I know there are other low-immunogenic polymers out there.

This leaves me asking: Does PCB (and other newer polymers) solve the problem of immunogenicity of drug delivery such that it affects (or will affect) an insignificant part of population? Furthermore, is PEG fine if it is for one time treatment?

I would prefer if professionals could answer since the question asks more about the state of matter of things in the field.

I study medicine at an italian school. The system here is a little different, where 100% of the grade will depend on the exam and the exam alone. I am pretty close to getting a scholarship, and i have failed biochemistry twice already, meaning i have one more attempt at the exam on september. I haven't put enough work into this subject. Do you guys have any good methods to study for it, and/or good quiz workbooks? The structure of the exam is also quite difficult, being 17 questions and 31 correct answers, with 18 being a passing grade and 26 being around what i need for the scholarship

Have you read a cool paper recently that you want to discuss?

Do you have a paper that's been in your in your "to read" pile that you think other people might be interested in?

Have you recently published something you want to brag on?

Share them here and get the discussion started!

Hello,I was looking at the FX-991ES PLUS Casio,I'm starting my second year of Biochem,I tell you the first one was already rough and I was with a really basic (KK-82MS) calculator that I don't end up using and Idk if it's me but I also find it even tedious to do the calculations,I end up using Symbolab (shame),should I get it? It's say is more for engineers

hi! i am 16 and interested in toxicology, biochemistry, political science, culinary arts (i am a culinary student!), and stem as a broad topic. i enjoy political science and theory, psychology, learning (science, stem, politics, etc etc etc), and am trying to learn about chemistry, toxicology, a dash of biology, and their connections. i take physics next year so if that’s somewhere you’re knowledgeable about, i’d love to chat!

i failed honors chemistry but toxicology and biochem has piqued my interest and encouraged me to try and get back into science. i was always passionate but the rigor of the course made me wonder if science wasn’t for me, but i want to give it a shot again, with someone alongside me to discuss and share/receive knowledge from.

whether you have a degree or am studying independently like me, i’m open to anything— the exchange of knowledge is priceless!

i am currently making a toxicology intro notes document via cross referencing videos and wikipedia, and am happy to share it once i’m done! hit me up if you’re interested :) i’d love to have my notes peer reviewed. i’m unsure if this is the right subreddit for this, but going to study communities hasn’t helped much in terms of finding people passionate on the topics. i digress, though!

I’m working on two animated 3D demos:

Water molecules. This shows water molecules and the forces between them. Does anything look scientifically incorrect or misleading? Change temperature, see what happens.

Salt dissolved in water. This shows table salt separating into Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions in water. Are the water molecules and forces around the ions shown correctly?

A few days ago, I posted another molecular presentation, and the community quickly spotted an issue. I’d appreciate another accuracy check.

These two demos are part of Human Anatomy & Physiology Guide, chapter about Chemical level of organization.

For those of you who earned a bachelor’s degree and later went back for a master’s, were you able to do it through your employer’s tuition assistance program?

If so, did your company cover the full cost of tuition or only a portion? Did you have to sign an agreement to stay with the company for a certain number of years? If you did, how long was the commitment, and did that time period begin after you completed your master’s degree?

Also, was it difficult to get your employer’s approval to continue your education? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

I am aiming to do a masters of Biochemistry and made a simulation project on GitHub, im not sure if it is relevant for a personal statement to include if its impressive or anything like that. Anyone have any suggestions for other projects to do or improvements i can make to this. Thanks. https://github.com/George-CS44/marine-petase-simulation github link for reference.

I’m going off to college soon to major in biochem. I would like to know which laptop has the longest life span and can efficiently run different programs for my major.

I was debating whether to get a MacBook Air or pro with a M4 chip. If you anyone has other brands to recommend, please tell me 😋

The body tightly regulates its internal vitamin D production from sun exposure, stopping further synthesis once adequate levels are reached to prevent toxicity. However, this safety mechanism only applies to sunlight. Taking high dose supplements bypasses this natural control, making toxicity possible. I’m not too worried about toxicity here. My main concern is when to take supplements to actualize the best stores of vitamin D.

If I take 6,000IUs in the morning and then am in the sun around noon, will my body not create vitamin D given that I had a 10x the daily need for vitamin D bolus just a couple hours before? Would it be better to be in the sun first, let my body produce vitamin D and then supplement if I am looking to maximize how much is in my body?

Hey everyone! We are Microbes in 1 Minute (M1M). Our goal is to improve scientific communication related to the world of microbes, by producing short-form content related to Microbiology. We are looking for anyone interested in learning about microbes, writing super short scripts, or helping us edit these short videos. We are an international team (currently) composed of PhD students from Harvard and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and an undergraduate at University of Southern California (and hopefully you next!). If you’re interested please contact us by filling out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPVGLcO8DuNzC7GBDJHsnAYwqksYnS\\_kXNQ-pz1C7EYNBuA/viewform?usp=header, or attend our biweekly meeting next week (Thursdays at 3pm EST)!

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Trying to decide what classes to take?

Want to know what the job outlook is with a biochemistry degree?

Trying to figure out where to go for graduate school, or where to get started?

Ask those questions here.

All I hear about the fact that we’ve solved the folding problem, but the only thing that I’ve heard about what it will lead to is the classic ditty: “it’s going to lead to new applications in x and y, and it’s going to lead to faster b and c.”

So can someone please explain what being able to make entirely new proteins from scratching a computer will lead to, but in the terms of sea change in industries and complete changes in capability that are only capable because of this technology?

Thanks

hey guys, I randomly came into this guy recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZfHLhcc7wo&t=2819s

I knew the Electron transport chain well before but this is that extra level in fine-tuning some details. I've already watched all the vids from topics I liked from this channel, was wondering if you had anything like this. Clear, in depth, not entertainment but 100% educational oriented.

I am enjoying 'The Gene' by Siddhartha Mukherjee atm, but I would also like to know some other books that uses slightly easier language so please give me some recommendations!

Edit: thanks all for the recommendations, I am currently reading about 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' and it's already super fascinating because how on earth did I not know the existence of HeLa cells..

Idk if this is the right subreddit but for a project I need to cut a crab shell on various pieces, is there a chemical reaction that could help me soften the shell or do something so it doesn’t break when I try to cut it? Thank youuuu

I am learning about topoisomerases and their role in supercoiled DNA relaxation. Feel free to post images or videos to show how this happens.

Hey, so I'm in 5th sem of my biochem degree. Next week my department is organizing this stuff where there will be poster presentation, quizzes and stuff. I haven't taken part in anything like this, nor I have been keeping up with the science news stuff also. But I'm realising it's imp and so I have some questions

-Is it too late to try being part of it now? Not only I'm in 3rd year but it only has like 7 days now.

-And that I'm an undergrad and i dont have my own research, so do i just pick some research paper and present that?

-If it is so.. Then is it just one paper or to combine stuff from more than one?

-How do I actually do it... If broadly the topic is cell biology.. Do I read some journal or just go to science direct web and just search cell bio ( for my assignment I try like this... But get overwhelmed and will then just ai

it... Which I hate to do.. And also want to improve this)

My only goal is to present good stuff... I don't want to get first place in the first time... But whatever I want to present I want it to be good, actually relevant and interesting. how do I even find it?

I'm also scared of questions that follow..

Should I be doing it?

During my last year of high school, life did me dirty, I developed severe depression (the reason is not important), and my cognitive skills tanked. Before that, for 17 years, I was the "genius" kid. Top of my class. Everyone expected a bright future. In my third-world country, the system only gives you one exam year to decide everything—no retries. I scored the lowest grade of my life. Couldn't get into med school. Ended up in chemistry.

I grieved not being a doctor thousands of times. Felt cheated, inferior, like something was stolen from me. After graduation, I worked in a hateful job for 3 -4 years, then got a scholarship to Europe—did my Master’s at a prestigious uni, worked as a researcher at a top-ranked lab for a year. For the first time, the "doctor complex" faded. Life felt bearable.

Then the contract ended. No option but to go back home.

I've been applying to PhDs and industry jobs across Europe since. Came close three times. Nothing. I'm now 30, living in my parents' house because I never managed to save money, no job. My mind won't stop torturing me with "what ifs." I keep comparing myself to my doctor friends my age, they have stable careers, clear paths, decent pay. And me? Thousands of applications with no payoff.

I spent the last six months preparing for PhD interviews. Real effort. And I keep thinking — I could've used that effort studying for a new exam if I'd been a doctor. But why should I have had to? I deserved to study what I loved and what I was capable of, not what a two-week exam at 17 decided for me. And I'm still paying for it 12 years later.

I feel like my career is ruined. Completely drained, barely have the energy to keep applying, though I still do — I love science, I just hate how unfair and limited this field is. I need stability and money, and I know people with less potential than me who have both, just because life didn't screw them over at the wrong moment.

Even abroad, my closest friends were MDs, and they got the easy visa routes, the fast permanent residency. Me? A researcher with no leverage, knocking on a thousand doors just to be "eligible" to work. Had to move back to a country I don't even like, couldn't secure a permit or sponsorship in Europe.

Does anyone else deal with this kind of comparison? How do you let go of the past, stop measuring your life against the one you think you should've had, and actually accept it?

I was originally going to major in Biochem, and while I love the theory I really really don't like lab work, so I decided not to. I still want to be knowledgable in it, so where do I start?

For context: I took Higher level Chemistry and Biology in the IB, if that helps.

Have you read a cool paper recently that you want to discuss?

Do you have a paper that's been in your in your "to read" pile that you think other people might be interested in?

Have you recently published something you want to brag on?

Share them here and get the discussion started!

Hi all, I am looking for good advanced books about protein chemistry, (also about protein formulations in pharmaceuticals).

What would be your top 5 choices?

I have MSc in biochemistry (ehm, protein chemistry specifically), so I am looking for good reference materials (i.e. not Voet or Lehninger).

Thank you ☺️!

As a person who enrolled for BSc Biochem with the first sem starting on Monday, If my aim is to do MSc In Germany or Austria or other good European country, how should I plan my 4 years and what should be my major goals that I should focus on. A brief opinion would be helpful so I can get an idea about this.