Name: OGBU EMMANUEL OBIORA Reg.

No: PG/MSC/10/57595 Course: BCH 582

DESIGN OF BIOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION
Biochemistry involves the study of the chemical processes that occur in living organisms with the ultimate aim of understanding the nature of life in molecular terms. Advances in biochemistry and molecular biology, as in all the sciences, are based on the careful design, execution and data analysis of experiments designed to address speci c !uestions or hypotheses. "uch experimental design involves a discrete number of compulsory stages: the identi cation of the sub#ect for experimental investigation$ in identifying the sub#ect of investigation, the title of the investigation is formulated. the critical evaluation of the current state of %nowledge &the 'literature() of the chosen sub#ect area noting the strengths and wea%nesses of the methodologies previously applied and the new hypotheses which emerged from the studies$ one of the ma#or challenges facing professional

biochemists and molecular biologists is to %eep abreast of current advances in the literature. *ortunately, the advent of the web has made access to the literature easier than it once was. the formulation of the !uestion or hypothesis to be addressed by the planned experiment$ the hypotheses is the expected outcome of the investigation which may be accepted or re#ected at the completion of the experiment. the careful selection of the biological system &species, invivo or invitro)to be used for the study$ ethical comparism of benefit inherent in the investigation, which must outweigh the damage done the biological system, is of serious concern. the identi cation of the variable that is to be studied$ the consideration of the other variables that will need to be controlled so that the selected variable is the only factor that will determine the experimental outcome$ the design of the experiment including the statistical analysis of the results, careful evaluation of the materials and apparatus to be used and the conse!uential potential safety aspects of the study$

 the execution of the experiment including appropriate calibrations and controls, with a carefully written record of the outcomes$ care is ta%en in carrying out the experiment to minimi+e error. the replication of the experiment as necessary for the unambiguous analysis of the outcomes$ the evaluation of the outcomes including the application of appropriate statistical tests to !uantitative data where applicable$ the formulation of the main conclusions that can be drawn from the results$ the formulation of new hypotheses and of future experiments that emerge from the study. ,he results of well-designed and analysed studies are nally published in the scienti c literature after being sub#ect to independent peer review.