Medical Biochemistry
Medical biochemistry applies the principles of chemistry and molecular biology to the understanding of human health and disease. It is concerned with the chemical processes that sustain life, including the metabolism of nutrients, the molecular mechanisms of cellular signalling and gene regulation, and the biochemical changes that underlie conditions ranging from diabetes and cardiovascular disease to cancer and genetic disorders. Medical biochemistry bridges the gap between pure chemistry and clinical medicine, producing scientists who understand disease at the molecular level and who can contribute to the development of new diagnostics and therapies.
At Manchester you will study this four-year programme, which includes a foundation year, giving you the academic and scientific preparation needed before the main degree begins. Manchester is one of the world's leading research universities, and the medical school and life sciences environment you will study within provides access to cutting-edge research across biochemistry, molecular biology, and the clinical sciences. Across the programme you will study the biochemical foundations of life, including metabolic pathways, protein structure and function, nucleic acid biochemistry, and cell biology, before progressing to topics that connect these foundations to medicine: the molecular biology of cancer, cell cycle control, genetic diseases, and the biochemistry of drug action.
Graduates of medical biochemistry pursue careers in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, clinical laboratories, biomedical research institutions, regulatory bodies, and the medical devices industry. The programme is also an excellent foundation for postgraduate study in biochemistry, molecular medicine, pharmacology, or clinical science, and many graduates pursue doctoral research or MSc programmes that allow them to specialise. The degree is also a recognised route towards graduate-entry medicine for those who wish to combine a deep scientific education with a subsequent clinical career.