LECTURE 1: introduction to biophysics

BIOPHYSICS MLB 108

ISAAC KWESI ACQUAH (MPHIL)
ACCRA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS
WHAT IS “BIOPHYSICS”
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that explains the
laws and principles of physics which govern various
biological processes.

Biophysics is that branch of knowledge that applies the

principles of physics and chemistry and the methods of
mathematical analysis and computer modeling to
understand how biological systems work.

It’s the ultimate interdisciplinary science combining

biology, chemistry, and physics. If you love science, then
biophysics is for you. The field touches on all aspects of all
the natural sciences.
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS (HISTORY)
FIRST BIOPHYSICISTS
Heraclitus 5th century B.C. – earliest mechanistic theories
of life processes, insight into dynamic.

Change is central to Universe”.

“Logos is the fundamental order of all “on Nature”

changes of objects with the flow of time”

“You can not step twice into the same river”

 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS (HISTORY)
FIRST BIOPHYSICISTS
• Epicurus 3rd century B.C. – atom. Living organisms follow the
same laws as non-living objects.

• Galen 2th century AD – physician, most accomplished medical

researcher of the Roman period. His theories dominated
Western medicine for over millennium.
• Better anatomy only by Vesalius in 1543
• Better understanding of blood and heart in 1628

• Leonardo da Vinci 16th century – mechanical principles of bird

flight (to use for engineering design) - biomechanics .
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS (HISTORY)
FIRST BIOPHYSICISTS
Giovanni Alfonso Borelli 17th century- related animals to
machines and utilized mathematics to prove his theories.

De Motu Animalium – comprehensive biomechanical

description of limb’s mobility, bird’s flight, swimming
movement, heart function.

Borelli is mostly called farther of biomechanics

 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS (HISTORY)

In 1892: Karl Pearson (missing link between biology and

physics => name biophysics),
The Grammar of Science
In 1943: Erwin Schrodinger (Nobel Prize, 1933),
lecture series: What is Life
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS (HISTORY)
In 1946: Biophysics Research Unit, King's College, London,
hire physicists to work on questions of biological
significance; Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin:
X-ray diffraction of DNA

1953: Francis Crick (particle physicist turned into

biophysicist at Cambridge) and James Watson (biologist):
double helix structure of DNA

1957:The Biophysical Society founded

 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
This lecture answers the hard five Ws (what, where, why,
when, and who) questions and the one H (how) question
about biophysics.
WHAT IS “BIOPHYSICS”
Biophysics is a natural science and the study of living
matter, its motion, and its interaction with the natural
universe. Bio comes from the Greek word for “life,”
whereas physics comes from the Greek work for “natural”
or “nature.”
Therefore, biophysics involves the study and application of
the laws of the physical universe when living organisms are
involved. An understanding of these laws will indicate how
and why living organisms behave the way they do.
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
LOCATING BIOPHYSICS: THE WHERE
Biophysicists ask the fundamental questions and build the
foundations for many different disciplines. Any natural
science involved in the study of biological systems is
connected to biophysics. In other words, everywhere you
have living organisms you have biophysics.
You can find biophysicists in the following fields:

Biochemistry Kinesiology
Biomedical engineering Medicine
Biology Pharmacology
Environmental science neuroscience
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
WHY BIOPHYSICS IS IMPORTANT
Biophysics deals with how the laws of the natural universe
work when the laws are applied to systems involving living
organisms. An understanding of these laws explains why
and how biological organisms behave the way they do

Having knowledge of these laws and the understanding of

their applications in the natural sciences and medicine is
important for the advancement of society.

The laws of biophysics tell you how cells interact with

radiation, how the nerves work, how molecules are
metabolized, and how to minimize energy expenditure or
increase performance in sports.
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
WHEN BIOPHYSICS IS RELEVANT
Biophysics is always relevant and important. You need
biophysics to understand the laws of nature. You need
biophysics to understand why things are behaving the way
they are. You need biophysics to understand how biological
systems will behave under certain conditions.

Biophysics gives scientists and engineers the tools and

knowledge to do their job and understand the problem.

nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was developed during

World War II and then used in physics. It was then applied
in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry, and eventually
in medicine where it’s called magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI).
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
WHO ARE BIOPHYSICISTS
Biophysics isn’t a secret society, and the members are
usually proud to talk about biophysics.

Biophysical society exists in many nations, and the

members consist of biophysicists, biologists, chemists,
physicists, and engineers.

The people come from all over, such as universities,

colleges, government research labs, and medical institutes
to name a few. In addition, some universities even have a
student biophysics society or club.
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
ANSWERING THE HOWs OF BIOPHYSICS
Many questions focused on the how exist in biophysics. For
example, two are “How do I perform biophysics?” and “How do
I become a biophysicist?” The first one comes with experience;
you apply the methodologies and techniques of physics to
answer questions involving biological organisms.
All sciences apply the scientific method, which can be
summarized by these four:
Observations: You observe or become aware of some event or
phenomenon.
Hypotheses: You propose theories to explain your
observations.
Predictions: Your theories have consequences, which you can
predict.
Experiments: You perform experiments to test the
observations, hypotheses, and predictions. If any are found in
error, then you have to repeat them. The experiments can be
empirical in the lab or theoretical calculations.
 THE FIVE Ws AND ONE H
The second question is interesting. Several universities do
offer different levels of degrees in biophysics, ranging from
bachelor of science all the way up to doctorates.

In addition to the biophysics programs, you can also

choose from medical physics and health physics programs
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
Biophysics can be classified depending on the relative size of
biological subject (e.g., molecules, cells, or whole organism), or
which technique and application is employed.

Biophysical subjects based on relative size of subject.

Molecular and subcellular biophysics
Physiological and anatomical biophysics
Environmental biophysics

Biophysical techniques and application

General biophysical techniques
Imaging biophysics
Medical biophysics
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
MOLECULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOPHYSICS
Most common branches of biophysics deals with
molecules and subcellular function. This division of
biophysics is sometimes also called biochemical physics,
physical biochemistry, or biophysical chemistry. All three
terms mean the same thing - what we will call molecular
and subcellular biophysics. It is the place where biology,
chemistry and physics all meet.
 The structure and conformation of
 Membrane biophysics
biological molecules.
 Structure function relationship  DNA and nucleic acid biophysics
 Conformational transitions.  Energy flow and bioenergetics
 Ligand binding and intermolecular  Statistical mechanics
binding.  Kinetics
 Diffusion and molecular transport
 Molecular Machines
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL BIOPHYSICS
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the branch of biophysics that deals with
the application of forces to biological objects. Notice that
biomechanics is studied at all levels: subcellular,
physiological, and environmental.
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology is the study of electrical aspects of living
things. Its main focus is the study of nerves. It is concerned
with excitable tissue, that create conduct, or use electrical
impulses. Excitable tissues include nerves, muscles,
sensory cells, and electro-receptive cells.
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL BIOPHYSICS
Sensory Biophysics Electrophysiology
Sensory biophysics explores the electrophysiology and
mechanism of the senses: seeing, hearing, touch, balance,
smell, and taste.

Sensory biophysics explores questions such as how

proteins in the eye respond to different energies of light,
how electrical signals from retina are transmitted to the
brain, and how the eye muscles move the eye, focus the
eye, and adjust the amount of light entering the eye.
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOPHYSICS
Environmental biophysics focuses on the physical aspects
of the relationship between the organisms and their
environment.
The primary source of energy in the environment is solar
energy, which is captured through the process of
photosynthesis and converted by plants into food.
There are other areas of focus within environmental
biophysics as well.
Heat and temperature environmental biophysics
Resource and mass exchange environmental biophysics
Radiation biophysics
Environmental bioengineering
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
BIOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES & APPLICATIONS
Ultracentrifugation to separate molecules of different
sizes based on the sedimentation principle.
Electrophoresis to separate molecules of different
molecular mass/size based on the sedimentation
principle; electric field acts on the charged molecules;
gel electrophoresis
Spectroscopy mostly with EM radiation and
measuring the intensity/direction/polarization of the
emitted radiation (originally only the visible spectrum
380-750 nm was used; now also UV and IR); in addition
to EM also electron and mass spectroscopy;
Mass Spectrometry to measure mass or molecular
weight of molecules; molecules are ionized in a
vacuum, then passed through a magnetic field.
 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOPHYSICS
BIOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES & APPLICATIONS
• X-Ray Crystallography to determine the relative
positions of atoms within a crystal by using
diffraction on a 3D crystal lattice; high resolution of
structural details but the molecules need to be in a
crystalline phase.
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)
to obtain structural information about molecules
of the highest resolution using EM of a radio
frequency, which interacts with nuclear spins of
atoms in a large magnetic field.
• Electron Microscopy to view objects 1,000-2,500
times smaller than those seen by light microscopes.