Biochemistry or biological chemistry deals with biomolecules (molecules found in living organisms): their structure and their location in tissues (structural biochemistry), the chemical transformations by which they are synthesized and degraded (Dynamic biochemistry) and their role in living organism. The study of biochemistry is essential to understand basic functions of the body. This will give information regarding the functioning of cells at the molecular level.

How the food we ingested is digested, absorbed, and used to make ingredients of the body? How does the body derive energy for the normal day to day work? How are the various metabolic processes interrelated? What is the function of genes?. Answer for such basic questions can only be derived by a systematic study of biochemistry.

Modern medical practice is highly dependent on the laboratory analysis of body fluids, especially the blood. The disease manifestations are reflected in the composition of blood and other tissues. Hence, the demarcation of abnormal from normal constituents of the body is another aim of biochemistry. Thus biochemistry is an essential component of curriculum for all categories of health professionals.

This Module is organized around the following three major themes, each of them is also subdivided into different chapters:

I. Biomolecules: A description of the structures and functions of carbohydrates (chap.1), lipids (chap.2), proteins (chap.3) glycoconjugates (chap.4) and nucleic acids (chap.5).

II. Vitamins, Coenzymes and Biocatalysts: Chemistry of Vitamins and coenzymes and their physiological role (chap.6) and the study of the properties, classification, kinetics and catalytic mechanism of enzymes (hap.7).

III. Metabolism: It includes the discussion of how living organisms degrade carbohydrates and lipids (chap.8) and synthesize them (chap.9). The metabolism of proteins is discussed in the chapter 10, while the DNA replication is studied in the last chaper (chap. 11)). In this 3^rd part the emphasize is done on the energy generation and consumption as well as the disorder resulting from the metabolism of each type of biomolecule.