This is a one semester course taught to first year students in the School of Nursing, first year students in the Dental Hygiene Program, second year students in the Physical Therapy Program, and to Biomedical Science Majors who are not pursuing a pre-professional course of study. The course is roughly divided into thirds. The first third of the course examines the structure and biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, membranes, amino acids, proteins and vitamins. The second third of the course deals with the metabolism of these basic biochemical components. Their degradation for energy and their use for the synthesis of complex biomolecules is explored.
Emphasis is placed upon how metabolism functions as a unified whole.
Lastly, the molecular biology of the cell is investigated. How the cell stores information in DNA, how the information in DNA flows to RNA, and how this information is utilized to direct protein synthesis is described. Throughout the course special emphasis is placed upon how biochemistry relates to normal health and disease. BISC 007 is less rigorous and not as in depth as BISC 413.