Research Guides: Biomedical and Basic Sciences Research: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Key Resources for Your Department

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with over 12,000 members. The Society's mission is to advance the science of biochemistry and molecular biology and to promote the understanding of the molecular nature of life processes.
American Society for Neurochemistry (ASN)
The latest molecular and cellular neurobiology in the Americas.
Southeastern Regional Lipids Conference
The Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference (SERLC) is one of the largest and most established academic meetings on lipid biology research in the United States. The main themes are sphingolipids, phospholipids, and eicosanoids, their analysis by state of the art lipidomics, and their biological functions in cell signaling, cell biology and in physiological and pathophysiological processes, including immunology, cancer, and metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases.

Popular resources used to search for biochemistry and microbiology protocols:

Springer Nature Experiments
This collection of over 20,000 life sciences and biomedical protocols includes 1700+ microbiology protocols. Because of its size, we recommend searching this collection first for protocols.
Current Protocols in Microbiology
This publication includes protocols for analyzing microorganisms, proteomic and genomic methods, and emerging technologies and concepts like quorum sensing and biofilms.
Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)
Peer-reviewed scientific video journal. Searching for specific technologies (RNASeq, siRNA transfection, etc.) may yield useful results.
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The following are some microbiology lab videos that you may find helpful. Please note that the resources provided on this page are not a substitute for speaking with a trained scientist on how to properly perform these procedures.

JoVE Science Education: Basic Lab Techniques
The Journal of Visualized Experiments offers a series of videos of basic laboratory techniques.
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
Short video showing the FISH process. See this short animation for a basic overview on how FISH works.
Gel Electrophoresis
This video shows you how to perform gel electrophoresis while offering an explanation of how it works.
Using a micropipette
This video offers a basic introduction to using micropipettes. It covers accurate delivery ranges for common micropipettes, as well as when to use the first or second stop positions.
Plating methods (Aseptic technique)
This video demonstrates streak plating, pour plating, spread-plating, soft agar overlay, replica plating, and clean up. The entire video is ~18 minutes long, but it's easy to skip to sections of interest.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
How to set up, run, and troubleshoot basic PCR reactions. See this animated video for a quick explanation of how PCR works.
Transfection
This animation shows how transfection works. For lab procedures, see BenchFly's siRNA Transfection video and Sigma-Aldrich's RNAi Transfection video.
Vernier callipers
Introduction to the parts of a Vernier calliper and how to use this instrument to measure zones of inhibition (ZOI).
Volume Transfers with Serological Pipettes and Micropipettors (Aseptic Technique)
Minimize contamination when transferring cultures and reagents.

The following are a selection of e-books available through VCU Libraries. Unless otherwise noted, e-books are restricted to 1 user at a time.

Bionanocomposites by Carole Aimé (Editor); Thibaud Coradin (Editor)
ISBN: 9781118942222
Publication Date: 2017-09-05
The text reviews the design principles, structures, functions and applications of bionanocomposites, including lipids. It also includes a section presenting related technical methods.
Biogenesis of Fatty Acids, Lipids, and Membranes by Otto Geiger
ISBN: 9783319504308
Publication Date: 2019
Concise chapters, written by experts in the field, cover a wide spectrum of topics on lipid and membrane formation in microbes (Archaea, Bacteria, eukaryotic microbes).
The Extracellular Matrix by Davide Vigetti (Editor); Achilleas D. Theocharis (Editor)
ISBN: 9781493991327
Publication Date: 2019-03-04
This volume details established experimental protocols on the isolation, characterization, and detection of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules as well as methods to study the activity and role of ECM components on various biological functions, the formation of exosomes, and tissue surrogates.
Cholesterol Modulation of Protein Function by Avia Rosenhouse-Dantsker (Editor); Anna Bukiya (Editor)
ISBN: 9783030042776
Publication Date: 2019-02-12
In this book, renowned scientists describe the role of steroid chirality and modification of lipid membrane physical properties in the modulation of G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels.

The following is a selection of biochemistry and molecular biology books that are part of VCU Libraries' physical collection; these books can be found at the Health Sciences Library. If there is a book that you love, that is not in our collection, please email Stacey Wahl, Ph.D. to inquire about adding it to the collection at HSL

We have several editions of the books used in BIOC503 and 504. Stop by our service desk for more information about viewing these items (most are not available for check out).

Principles of Biochemistry by David L. Nelson; Michael M. Cox
Call Number: Health Sciences Library Course Reserves QD415 .L44 2017
ISBN: 9781464126116
Publication Date: 2017-01-01
This book is used for BIOC503. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry is the #1 bestseller for the introductory biochemistry course because it brings clarity and coherence to an often unwieldy discipline.
Loeb and Quimby's Clinical Chemistry of Laboratory Animals, Third Edition by David M. Kurtz; Judith S. Prescott; Gregory S. Travlos
Call Number: Health Sciences Library General Collection SF996.5 .C55 2018
ISBN: 9781420091137
Publication Date: 2017-10-19
Includes detailed chapters dedicated to descriptions of clinical chemistry-related topics specific to each laboratory species as well as organ/class-specific chapters.
Prion Diseases by Stanley B. Prusiner
Call Number: Health Sciences Library General Collection QR502 .P7454 2017
ISBN: 9781621820109
Publication Date: 2017-07-31
A growing collection of disorders has been found to be caused by prions; some of these prion diseases include such devastating illnesses as Alzheimer's and possibly type 2 diabetes.This collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine covers the progress that has recently been made in our understanding of the pathophysiology of prion diseases.
Molecular Cell Biology by Harvey Lodish; Arnold Berk; Chris A. Kaiser; Monty Krieger; Anthony Bretscher; Hidde Ploegh; Angelika Amon; Matthew P. Scott; Kelsey C. Martin
Call Number: Health Sciences Library General Collection QH581.2 .M655 2016
ISBN: 9781464183393
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
This book is used for BIOC504. Grounding its coverage in experiments, Molecular Cell Biology emphasizes medical relevance while fousing on the information which defines our understanding of cell biology.

Download the Browzine app to your Apple or Android device and easily browse through journal articles. You can also access BrowZine via the web. Your VCU subscription includes BrowZine access to Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Molecular Microbiology, Journal of Oral Microbiology, and more.

The HHMI Biointeractive, a resource offered by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute offers data-rich activities and case studies to high-quality videos and interactive media, our resources are designed to connect students to big ideas in biology, promote engagement with science practices, and instill awe and wonder about the living world.