MED 203 — Molecular and Cellular Basis of Health and Disease I

University of Cape Coast · Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery · Year 2, Semester 1 · outline 2026/2027

MED 203 is the first multidisciplinary basic science module of Cycle I of the School’s spiral curriculum. It explains health and disease in terms of molecular and cellular structure and function, and lays the foundation for later modules. The module begins with the cell and its molecules: cell structure and organelles, biochemical thermodynamics, the structure and functions of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, enzymes and vitamins, and membrane transport. It then covers energy metabolism (glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid oxidation and synthesis, ketone bodies, the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation), cell division and growth, and the basic concepts of medical genetics. Histology covers the basic tissues and microscopical techniques. Physiology covers homeostasis, body fluids, membrane and action potentials, nerve fibres and synaptic transmission. Clinical Anatomy covers the functional and applied anatomy of the upper limb. Information at the molecular and cellular levels is presented ahead of that at the organ and organism levels.