Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MDS1021

 
TITLE Cell Biology and Biochemistry

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

 
DESCRIPTION Biochemistry is the study of living organisms at the molecular level; the building blocks from which they are made and the chemical processes that determine life itself. Through biochemistry we strive to understand the molecular basis and mechanism of disease. This study unit focuses on the cell and integrates molecular structure and cellular function with the needs of the body in both health and disease. It describes how enzyme activity is regulated to reflect the physiological state of the organism and introduces concepts of molecular interactions and the cell as a dynamic entity.

Study-unit Aims

To provide the scientific foundation necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms that cause disease.

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Describe the structure and general function of the cell and its components
2. Describe the structure and function of subcellular organelles
3. Characterise the biomolecules responsible for the physical and metabolic properties of a cell.
4. Describe the chemistry of the cell and its environment.
5. Describe the basic structure of the four major types of biomolecules
6. Outline the stages and describe the stringent regulation of the cell cycle
7. Explain the major steps in the synthesis and degradation of proteins
8. Explain the role of water in the human body and the buffer systems used by the body to protect itself from acids and bases produced by metabolism
9. Classify amino acids according to their chemical structure and charge
10. Describe the four of levels of protein structure
11. Compare the mechanism of oxygen binding to myoglobin and haemoglobin
12. Describe the Bohr effect
13. Describe the characteristics of enzymatic reactions and the factors that affect enzyme activity.
14. Discuss the therapeutic use of reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibitors
15. List the water-soluble vitamins and discuss their biochemical actions, sources and symptoms of deficiencies
16. Describe the molecular components of the extracellular matrix and the pathology of disorders of ECM metabolism
17. Describe the basic structure and function correlations of the cell and nucleus
18. Describe the importance of biological membranes and their structures ( including organelles) in cellular function.
19. Describe how macromolecular cellular structures like the actin cytoskeleton and tubulin networks function in the cell

2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Identify molecules and molecular interactions that cause disease
2. Identify water soluble vitamins and their use at a molecular level
3. identify karyotypes

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings

Mark's Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach.
Michael Lieberman,Allan D. Marks
Third Edition
Walters Kluwer/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN 0-13:978-0-7817-7022-4

Secondary Review Text for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Lippincott's Illustrated reviews: Biochemistry
Pamela C. Champe, Richard A. Harvey, Denise R. Ferrier
Fourth Edition
Walters Kluwer/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN 0-7817-2265-9

Online resources

thepoint.lww.com

http://staff.um.edu.mt/ghun1/

http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Independent Study & Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Multiple Choice Questions Examination Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Analisse Cassar
Gary J. Hunter (Co-ord.)
Therese Hunter
Marion Zammit Mangion

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit