Army Medical College

BIOCHEMISTRY

Message from HoD

I feel greatly privileged to welcome you to the webpage of department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Army Medical College. We boast to being the premier department in the field of Biochemistry in Pakistan. Department is devoted to maintain its high national reputation by progressing with clearly set objectives. Since its inception the college has produced doctors of the highest caliber who have proven their mettle within the country and as well internationally. This all has been possible due to presence of highly qualified and devoted faculty. The department employs the latest teaching tools to impart training to undergraduate medical and dental students in an academically conducive environment due to provision of well-equipped laboratory, lecture hall and seminar room. The department not only provides world class training to the undergraduates but also breeds curiosity to know the unknown, explore the unseen micro environment and ultra-micro interactions of cell. The faculty endeavors to inculcate a sense of compassion and responsibility in the undergraduate medical and dental students for generating medical professionals who are committed to provide socially conscious service marked with patient care and excellence in research.

The distinctive feature of our department is its performance in the field of research in the department’s Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine (CREAM) as a modern research facility equipped with the most up-to-date equipment related to field of molecular genetics and clinical biochemistry. Innovation is the passion for post graduate scholars and source of inspiration for the future generations to come. The department has so far produced 80 post graduate specialists in field of biochemistry and has more than 120 publications in national and international journals to its credit.

We invite you to join us in our journey to continually strive for excellence in teaching, learning and scientific discovery.

Prof Amir Rashid

Introduction

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is one of the constituent departments of the Basic Medical Sciences at Army Medical College. The department started functioning since the instigation of AM College in 1977. The primary academic activities are directed towards MBBS & BDS undergraduate programs. The department holds the honor of having one of the most qualified faculty in the country comprising 3 PhD, 3 FCPS and 2 MPhil qualified members. The undergraduate teaching program for both MBBS and BDS students being conducted at the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology is an extensive, ever growing and meeting the latest global trends.

About the Course

The students are taught molecular and functional organization of cell, its sub cellular components, inter-relationship of various biomolecules, various aspects of metabolism and regulatory pathways, biochemical basis of inherited disorders, basics of cancer metabolism and xenobiotics as well as the fundamentals of molecular biology and genetic engineering along with their applications in modern medicine during the first two years for the MBBS students and the first one year for the BDS students. All these teaching modules are integrated with the other departments in order to enhance the understanding of the core knowledge of normal body structure and function. The department follows a modular system during the academic session with an annual examination being held at the end of 1st and 2nd year of MBBS studies and 1st year of BDS studies. Great emphasis is laid on clinical based learning in order to provide the medical and dental students with comprehensive insight into the biochemical basis of human disease. The department is also actively engaged in training of the BSc nursing students of the affiliated nursing college in the discipline of biochemistry.

The department has the unique distinction of being pioneer institute in Pakistan in initiating FCPS, MPhil & PhD in Biochemistry and introducing MPhil & PhD programs in Molecular Medicine. The department has state of the art “Centre for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine (CREAM)” laboratory. The lab is equipped with the latest equipment to carry out multidisciplinary research with emphasis on genetic mechanisms underlying various metabolic diseases. The lab serves as hub for post graduate research and in addition to provides opportunity to undergraduate medical and dental students to get hands on training in the latest molecular biology techniques.