Course Details

1. Identify the molecular processes involved in a long series of important biological phenomena, such as gene expression, storage and transfer of genetic information.
2. Recognise well the involved molecular mechanisms in cell death and cancer.
3. State the role of hormones in many cell regulatory functions.
4. Distinguish the various basic techniques concerning DNA, RNA, proteins - enzymes involved in important cellular functions, e.g. expression and transcription.
5. Employ the basic knowledge necessary for the subject of pharmaceutical biotechnology taught in a later semester.

·  Procaryotic cells, viruses, plasmids and transposable elements. Eucaryotic cell structure, organelles, cytoskeleton and their functions.
·  Hormones and other molecules for the transduction of biological messages, functions of membrane and intracellular receptors.
·  Organisation, storage and expression of genetic information. Genes, operons and regulons. RNA polymerase and transition factors in RNA processing and transport.
·  Cell division, differentiation and cell death.
·  Cancers, oncogenes and, antioncogenes.
·  Introduction to genetic engineering. Elements of Molecular Biology in Medicinal Chemistry: molecular targets, e.g. cellular assays in drug discovery; gene knock-out models. Synthesis, e.g stereoselective synthesis helped by recombinant enzymes; analysis, e.g. enantioseparation of chiral drugs, kinetics, metabolism and toxicity, pharmacogenetics.
·  Genetic variation on drug disposition and response.
·   Pharmacogenetics of bioavailability and elimination.
·  Toxicogenetics: interaction of new molecular - biological tools in Toxicology.
·  Molecular biology in the service of Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
Laboratory Work: Individual or small group experiments performed using common biological science equipment. Students become acquainted to basic molecular biology techniques such as DNA electrophoresis, restriction enzyme digestion, western blotting, etc.

• G. Karp, Cell and Molecular Biology. Concepts and Experiments, John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
• B. Alberts, A. Johnson, J. Lewis et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, Garland Science, 2007.

• Th. Dingermann, D. Steinhilber, G. Folkers, Molecular Biology in Medicinal Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, 2004.