STUDY GUIDE

Cellular Biomolecules and Molecular Gene cs

(PAA1032)

Year 1
Semester 1, 2024/2025

No Content Page
1. Course synopsis 2
2. Course learning outcome (CLO) 2
3. Teaching staff & contact info 2
4. Teaching learning ac vi es 3
5. Assessment 3
6. Course content and learning outcome 4-10
7. Textbook & references 10

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Course Synopsis
This course comprehensively covers cellular biomolecules, gene cs, and molecular
biology. This course aims to introduce students to the structure and func ons of important
biological molecules in our body. Students will be required to understand the rela onship
between the structure and func ons of the major biomolecules of clinical significance in the
human body. The course also emphasizes the importance of molecular biology and gene cs
in medicine by rela ng it to clinical abnormali es including cancers. The recent molecular
techniques are included. The prac cal session introduces the skill to interpret basic
cytogene cs and molecular gene c tes ng. Gene cs and molecular ethical issues based on
the integra on of Naqli-Aqli knowledge will be discussed in this course. The con nuous
assessment consists of seminar presenta on, team-based learning (TBL) marks and end of
course test. The final assessment will be carried out at the end of semester exam which consist
of mul ple-choice ques ons (MCQ), modified essay ques ons (MEQ) and objec ve structured
prac cal examina on (OSPE).

Course learning outcome (CLO)

CLO1 - Explain the basic biochemical concepts, molecular processes, gene c inheritance of
the human body and its associated diseases. (PLO1, C2)
CLO2 - Demonstrate the skill to interpret cytogene c and molecular laboratory results in
gene c inherited disorders. (PLO3, P5)
CLO3 - Demonstrate Naqli and Aqli knowledge integra on in gene cs and molecular biology
ethical issues. (PLO11, A3)

Teaching staff & contact info

Name Email address
1 Dr. Marjanu Hikmah Elias (Coordinator) marjanuhikmah@[Link]
2 Dr. Wan Noraini Wan Sulaiman wannur@[Link]
3 Prof. Madya Dr. Nuruliza Roslan nuruliza@[Link]
4 Dr. Faizul Helmi Addnan faizul@[Link]
5 Prof. Madya Dr. Nur Fariha Mohd Manzor nurfariha@[Link]
6 Prof. Madya Dr. Nazefah Abdul Hamid nazefah@[Link]
7 Dr. Noraziah Nordin noraziahnordin@[Link]
8 Pn. Rabiatul Raihan Mohd Sidek raihan@[Link]
9 Pn. Syarifah Khalilah bt Syed Yazi khalilah@[Link]
10 En. Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Jalil abdulaziz90@[Link]

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Teaching learning ac vi es (TLA)
Teaching-learning ac vi es will include lectures, prac cal sessions, seminar, self-learning
packages, and team-based learning sessions. Students are encouraged to meet with the
lecturers for further clarifica on on lessons or topics taught. For this purpose, e-mail
addresses of lecturers are included in this study guide. If there is any problem to this course,
students are encouraged to contact the course coordinator.

Summary of teaching and learning ac vi es in this course:

TLA Hours per session No of Session
Lecture (L) 1 17
Self-learning packages (SLP) 1 2
Team-based learning (TBL) 2 4
Prac cal (P) 2 2
Seminar (S) 2 1

Assessment
Student’s assessment in this course consists of summa ve assessment:
Marking
Assessment Details
percentage
Team-based learning (TBL4) marks 10
Seminar- Ethics rubric 5
Con nuous assessment
End of course assessment:
(30%)
- 3 True False (TF) ques ons 15
- 7 One Best Answer (OBA) ques ons
End of semester exam:
- 10 TF, 10 OBA 30
Final assessment
- 5 Modified essay ques ons (MEQ) 30
(70%)
- 2 objec ve structured prac cal 10
examina on (OSPE)
TOTAL 100

IMPORTANT: Absenteeism from any learning teaching ac vi es of >10 % will disqualify

students from si ng for the end-semester examina on.

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Course content and learning outcome
INPUT 1: CELLULAR BIOMOLECULES
Lecture 1: pH, acid base and buffer
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 define the terms of acid, base and buffers with examples.
 explain the concept of pH.
 explain the roles of buffers in terms of Henderson-Hasselbach equa on.
 explain the buffering system of the body in maintaining homeostasis.
 describe the clinical significance of acid base imbalance.

Lecture 2: Carbohydrate: Structure and type of biological importance

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 classify carbohydrates into monosaccharides, disaccharides, and
polysaccharides.
 iden fy the major monosaccharides, such as glucose, fructose, and galactose,
and understand their importance in energy metabolism.
 Describe the structure and biological func ons of important disaccharides,
including lactose, sucrose, and maltose.
 Discuss the structure and func ons of common polysaccharides found in the
human body, such as glycogen, starch, and cellulose.
 Explain the role of carbohydrates as structural components in cells.

Lecture 3: Lipids: Structure and Types of Biological Importance

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 classify lipids according to their structure.
 relate the structure of lipids to their func ons.

Lecture 4: Protein: Structure and Types of Biological Importance

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the forma on of pep de bonds.
 describe the four levels of protein organiza on.

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  explain how structure of protein determines its func on.
 differen ate between globular and structural proteins.
 explain the implica on of protein misfolding and its role in diseases.

SLP 1: Phospholipids
At the end of this SLP, students should be able to:
 describe the various types of phospholipids.
 describe the func ons of phospholipids.
 describe the clinical significance of phospholipids.
 correlate knowledge of phospholipids with the knowledge of al-Quran and
Sunnah.

Lecture 5: Enzyme classifica on and proper es

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 explain the classifica on and chemical proper es of enzymes.
 describe the ac ve site, cataly c efficiency, specificity, cofactors, and
compartmentalisa on.
 explain the mechanism of enzyme-catalysed reac ons.
 describe the classifica on of co-enzymes and their func ons.
 explain the kine cs of enzyma c catalysis (Michaelis-Menten equa on and
Lineweaver-Burk graph) and its importance.

Lecture 6: Regula on of Enzyme Ac vi es

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the func ons and roles of mul -unit enzyme complexes
 explain regula on of enzymes
 illustrate processes in the regula on of enzyme ac vi es.

Lecture 7: Enzyme in Medicine

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the clinical significance of isoenzymes.

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  apply the knowledge of isoenzymes in clinical diagnosis.
 relate isoenzymes to myocardial infarc on.

Lecture 8: Vitamins
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the classifica on of vitamins.
 describe the general proper es of vitamins.
 explain the disorders related to deficiencies of vitamins.
 correlate knowledge on vitamins with that of Al-Quran and Sunnah.

Lecture 9: Minerals
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the classifica on of minerals.
 describe the general proper es of minerals.
 explain the disorders related to deficiencies and toxicity of minerals.
 correlate knowledge on minerals with that of Al-Quran and Sunnah.

INPUT 2: MOLECULAR GENETICS

Lecture 10: Introduc on to Nucleic Acids and Free Nucleo des
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the structure of purines and pyrimidines
 explain the nomenclature of nucleo des
 describe the structure and proper es of nucleic acids
 explain the role of nucleo des in the cells
 explain the role of nucleic acids
 explain the gene structure and its clinical significance

Lecture 11: Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 explain DNA replica on, DNA transcrip on and DNA transla on

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  differen ate DNA replica on, DNA transcrip on and DNA transla on between
prokaryo c & eukaryo c replica on
 describe the inhibitors of DNA replica on, DNA transcrip on and DNA
transla on
 describe the uses of DNA replica on, DNA transcrip on and DNA transla on
and its importance in medicine

Lecture 12: Regula on of gene expression

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 explain the importance of regula on of gene expression
 describe the involvement of regulatory proteins and regulatory sites on DNA
(enhancers and response elements)
 explain the regula on of gene expression in prokaryotes using the lac operon
as a model
 Describe the clinical significance of dysregula on in gene expression

Lecture 13: Gene muta ons and DNA repair

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the role of gene c varia on and muta on
 discuss the importance of gene c varia on in human popula ons and how
muta ons can lead to gene c disorders.
 define gene muta on and list factors causing it
 describe the types, mechanisms and effects of the point and frame shi
muta ons with example of diseases

Lecture 14: Chromosomal Changes

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 describe the structure of chromosomes and their role in carrying gene c
informa on.
 explain the rela onship between genes and chromosomes.
 describe chromosomes and DNA packaging.

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  define and describe chromosome muta ons.
 describe the molecular aspects of trisomy and monosomy.
 list and describe the gene c diseases resul ng from chromosomal dele on
muta on.
 list and describe sex chromosomes muta on diseases.

Prac cal 1: Cytogene cs Analysis

At the end of this prac cal, students should be able to:
 Interpret cytogene c analysis result.
 apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply the principles of human
gene c inheritance to analyse and solve prac cal problems related to
inheritance pa erns, gene c counselling, or predic ng the likelihood of
specific traits or disorders.

Prac cal 2: Molecular Analysis

At the end of this prac cal, students should be able to:
 Interpret molecular analysis result.
 apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply the principles of human
gene c inheritance to analyse and solve prac cal problems related to
inheritance pa erns, gene c counselling, or predic ng the likelihood of
specific traits or disorders.

Lecture 15: Molecular Basis of Diseases

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 explain the molecular basis of unifactorial disease using sickle cell anaemia,
haemophilia and thalassaemia.
 explain the basis of mul factorial diseases using atherosclerosis and diabetes
mellitus as examples.

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Lecture 16: Molecular Basis of Cancer
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 define hyperplasia, neoplasia, adenoma, carcinoma
 describe the mul stage process of carcinogenesis
 describe proto-oncogenes and some common examples
 describe tumour suppressor genes and some common examples
 describe the role of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes in the normal
cellular func on
 describe the role of an -apopto c genes, telomeres elonga on and DNA repair
genes in cancer

Seminar iNAQ in Gene cs

At the end of this seminar, students should be able to:
 Analyze and discuss ethical issues in gene cs, such as consanguineous
marriage, designer babies, abor on of syndromic babies, genomic edi ng
therapy, and gene cally modified foods, from both Islamic and modern
scien fic perspec ves.
 Correlate gene c knowledge (aqli) with principles derived from the Quran and
Sunnah (naqli), emphasizing the integra on of Islamic ethical values with
contemporary medical prac ces.
 Evaluate the ethical implica ons of advancements in gene c technologies in
light of Islamic teachings, par cularly regarding the sanc ty of life,
predes na on (Qadar), and the balance between human interven on and
divine will.
 Cri cally assess the role of Islamic ethics in guiding medical decisions and
innova ons in gene cs, ensuring the well-being of individuals and society,
while maintaining adherence to Islamic values.

SLP2: Updates in Gene c Tes ng & Molecular Biology Techniques

At the end of this SLP, students should be able to:
 explain the basic principle involved in molecular biology techniques

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  describe the various detec on methods in molecular biology techniques
 describe the clinical applica on of gene c tes ng and molecular biology
techniques

Lecture 17: Gene c inheritance

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 understand the basic principles of inheritance:
o heredity
o genes
o alleles
o dominant traits
o recessive traits
 differen ate between Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance
 explain the inheritance and mechanism of single-gene disorders such as cys c
fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia, and Hun ngton's disease
 interpret pedigree charts to determine pa erns of inheritance and predict the
likelihood of a trait or disorder being passed on to offspring
 understand the importance of gene c counselling

Textbook & references:

Must Read
1. Liebermanns M and Marks AD. Mark’s Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical
Approach, 5th Edi on. 2018.

Op onal
2. Nelson L., Cox MD. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 7th Edi on, W.H Freeman.
2017
3. Murray R, Bender D, Botham KM, Kennelly PJ, Rodwell V and Weil PA. Harper’s
Illustrated Biochemistry. 31st Edi on (Lange Basic Science). McGraw-Hill Publica on.
2018.
4. Taneri, B., Asilmaz, E., Delikurt, T., Savas, P., Targen, S., & Esemen, Y. (2020). Human
Gene cs and Genomics: A Prac cal Guide: Wiley.
5. Lewis, R. (2020). Human Gene cs: Concepts and Applica ons: 3rd Edi on. McGraw-
Hill Educa on.
6. Navon, D. (2019). Mobilizing Muta ons: Human Gene cs in the Age of Pa ent
Advocacy: University of Chicago Press.
7. UpToDate (h ps://[Link]/en-my/solu ons/uptodate)

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8. Clinical Key (h ps://[Link]/#!/)
9. Isa, N.M., Zulkifli, N.A. & Man, S. Sci Eng Ethics (2019).
[Link]
10. Abdul Halim Ibrahim, Noor Naemah Abdul Rahman & Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen. (2018)
Maqasid al-Shariah as a Complementary Framework for Conven onal Bioethics:
Applica on in Malaysian Assisted Reproduc ve Technology Fatwa. Science and
Engineering Ethics 24 (5):1493-1502.

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