2000

Biochemistry includes the entire molecular basis of processes that take place in living beings. Under this perspective, it is immediately perceived that none of the areas in science involving life can escape the frontiers of this sphere of knowledge. In this order of ideas, the course of General Biochemistry attempts to provide a view of the basic concepts of the discipline in order for students to understand the rules of the molecular logic of cells, and recognize the structural basis of biomolecules, enzymatic catalysis and its relationship with bioenergetics. This is expected to provide students with an understanding of the central routes of metabolism, leading the concept to a metabolic integration focused on the interrelationship between the different processes of degradation and synthesis that constitute biochemical routes.

The impact of molecular biology on modern biology has led to the manipulation of molecules and, as a result, the accelerated development of new fields such as genetic engineering and biotechnology. The course covers the basic aspects regarding molecular biology and familiarizes students with biomolecular structure. It teaches how, starting with basic sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology, you can explore new frontiers of knowledge and take advantage of the properties, capacities and structure of molecules that make up living beings, to obtain highly functional products resulting in the so called biological revolution.

The objective of this practical course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the processes and procedures employed in a molecular biology laboratory to support the theoretic component of the class. These practices familiarize students with the fundamentals and the performance of widely used procedures in applied molecular biology, such as the study of nucleic acids, PCR and electrophoresis. As a part of the course, there is an introduction to the understanding and uses of some of the basic tools used in the field of bioinformatics.