Cellular and Molecular Physiology

Catalog description

The cell membrane is the boundary between a cell and its environment, but is not simply a lipid coating: it is a vital organelle. Embedded membrane proteins facilitate the flux of ions and solutes to maintain the distinct composition of the cell interior and mediate cell excitability, while the associated cytoskeleton provides structural integrity, modulates cell movement, and the response of cells to physical stress. Having completed this course, students will have a working knowledge of the importance of membrane and structural proteins to a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Students aiming for a career in the health sciences will benefit from this exposure to the underpinnings of medical physiology taught by instructors from the medical school faculty. In the first half of the course students will learn the fundamentals of cellular and molecular physiology. In the second half, students will apply this knowledge in faculty-led discussions of recent research developments.