Upon completion of this module, students will be aware of, and be able to demonstrate understanding of the basic biochemistry that underpins the functioning of the human body. Four broad themes will be explored here:
Nutrition- including recall of nutrient groups and basic processing within the body , exploring deficiencies and overdose problems
Energy metabolism – Pathways involved in release of ATP from biomolecules including both anabolic and catabolic reactions
Practical biochemistry techniques- Research led practical aspects to introduce students to common biochemical techniques used in research studies
Regulation and Deregulation of metabolic pathways- The control of metabolic pathways including the effect of enzyme/ protein denaturisation, redox, key enzymes and starvation
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a detailed understanding of important aspects of human nutrition.
Describe some of the techniques used to isolate cellular components and to purify and characterise proteins
Demonstrate understanding of the features of metabolism exemplified by the major pathways of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism
Interpret disorders of metabolism by analysis of clinical data in case studies
Demonstrate observational, manipulative, numerical and deductive skills, and write reports (through experience gained in the practicals and in the clinical case studies)