Chapter 1 Biochemistry and Medicine

Biochemistry and Medicine
Chapter 1
Biomedical Importance
• Biochemistry is the study of chemistry in living systems.
• The mutually cooperative relationship is demonstrated by the elucidation of many aspects of
health and diseases. Conversely, diseases has introduced numerous areas in biochemistry and
medicine.
• Cooperative with medicine and contributory to:
• Cell biology
• Physiology
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Epidemiology
• Inflammation
• Cell Injury
• Cancer
• Louis Pasteur stated that fermentation only occurs in intact cells.
• However, in 1899, Buchner brothers fermented sugar with yeast
extracts.
• Defined the roles of ADP, ATP, NADH and sugars and the processes
they are involved in.
• 1930s – Identification of intermediates of CAC and Urea Cycle and
roles of vitamin-derived cofactors.
• 1950s – Described the synthesis and breakdown of sugars, and
reactions of amino acids and fatty acids.
• Animal models were utilized by using organs for fractionation and
purification of enzymes.
• Radioisotopes after World War 2 were used as tracers to identify
intermediates in pathways.
• 14C for dating
• 32P for drug-labeling
• X-ray crystallography was used to define the 3D structures of
macromolecules and viruses.
• Advances in genetics brought about PCR, transgenic animals or gene
knockouts.
Biochemistry and Medicine have Provided
Mutual Advances
• Biochemistry focuses on the four major biomolecules –
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.
• It is essential in understanding health and the effectivity of treatment.
• Conversely, the study of diseases contributed so much to our
understanding of biochemistry.
• Point mutation in the normal hemoglobin will give rise to different
hemoglobinopathies such as Sickle Cell Disease.
• Archibald Garrod designated diseases as inborn errors of metabolism
which includes alkaptonuria, albinism, cystinuria and pentosuria.
Biochemistry and Medicine have Provided
Mutual Advances
• Defective cholesterol receptors causing Familial
Hypercholesterolemia.
• Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes elucidated the functions of
tumor proteins and become targets of molecular therapy.
Impacts on Nutrition and Preventive
Medicine
• Health - complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease and infirmity.
• Biochemically, health is when all reactions in the body are
commensurate with the organism’s survival under pressure from both
internal and external challenges.
• Vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and water
• Nutritional approach in preventing diseases
Impacts of Biochemical Research
• WHO defines health as complete physical, mental and social well-
being. Absence of disease is not an absolute state of being healthy.
• In biochemistry, health can be considered in which all intra- and
extracellular reaction are at rates commensurate or at par with the
organism’s survival from internal and external challenges.
• There is optimum micronutrients, macromolecules and water.
• Preventive medicine is the emphasis on maintaining good health to
prevent, or at least delay, certain diseases such as cardiovascular
disease and cancer.
Biochemical Basis of Diseases
• Diseases are manifestations of infections, environmental pollutants, or
abnormalities in genes, proteins, chemical reactions or biochemical
processes.
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Defective nutrient absorption
• Hormonal imbalance
• Toxins
• DNA-bases genetic disorders
• Biochemistry is incorporated in genetics, cell biology, immunology,
nutrition, pathology and pharmacology.
Impact of Human Genome Project
• Conceptualized in 1984, started in 1990 and completed in 2003, which is
about 50 years after Watson and Crick’s double-helix DNA description.
• Significant contribution to describing unknown genes and their products
via gene knockout experiments.
• Model organisms helped understand health in disease.

Candida (yeast)

Drosophilia melanogaster (fruit fly)

Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm)

Danio rerio (Zebra fish)
Impact of Human Genome Project
• Transcriptomics
• Proteomics
• Glycomics
• Lipidomics
• Metabolomics
• Pharmacogenomics
• Biotechnology – nanotechnology and molecular diagnostic test.
• Bioethics
• Synthetic biology
• Thank you

Chapter 1 Biochemistry and Medicine

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 1 Biochemistry and Medicine

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 1 Biochemistry and Medicine

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Biochemistry and Medicine

You might also like