Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine
This intensive course takes you inside the science that drives modern medicine, exploring how drugs work at the cellular and molecular level to transform patient care. You’ll follow the complete journey of a drug—from its initial discovery and design, to how it’s administered, to how the body ultimately breaks it down. Along the way, you’ll uncover how drugs alter the activity of their molecular targets to produce therapeutic effects, and investigate essential topics such as drug toxicity, interactions, ethical questions in drug development, and the promises and challenges of next-generation therapies.
Through interactive lectures, small-group problem solving, and case studies, you’ll analyze real-world examples like insulin therapy, aspirin metabolism, opioid treatments, and groundbreaking innovations such as CAR T-cell therapy. The experience culminates in a team-based final project where you apply your new expertise to a specific medical condition and its treatments.
Prerequisite: One year of high school biology and one year of high school chemistry.