260020 VU Biological Physics (2024S)

This course covers relevant topics in the field of Biological Physics (Biophysics). The main aim is to develop an understanding of fundamental physical principles in biologically relevant phenomena at different levels (intracellular, cellular).

We will use physical concepts such as Brownian motion, diffusion, thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, friction and elasticity to understand important intracellular processes and biophysical principles. Furthermore we will discuss basic physical principles of cell motion, such as bacterial locomotion and cancer metastasis.

The course consists of lectures and exercises, with active participation of the students.

The tentative outline is as follows:
1. Introduction
2. Biological overview („What‘s inside cells“)
3. Random Walks and diffusion
4. Hydrodynamics and cell swimming
5. Thermodynamics in cells
6. Cell mechanics and elasticity
7. Molecular biological machines
8. Cell migration in the body