Abstract:

Students from the Faculty for Higher Education (FES) Zaragoza of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) graduate after fulfilling theoretical and practical studies that form part of the Chemistry, Pharmacy and Biology curricula (QFB). By then, they must have the adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to serve society with responsibility by being able to design, select, produce and distribute, as well as to inform, evaluate and regulate manufacture, testing and utilization of chemicals, diagnostic reagents and medicines. QFB graduated professionals must be able to demonstrate their scientific, technologic and social awareness, performing a number of clinical and experimental assays designed to establish diagnosis, prevent diseases and contribute to maintain and recover human health, according to national and international directives [1, 2]. Our QFB curriculum offers this kind of education by following one of two branches, namely, Biochemistry and Pharmacy. The education focused on biochemistry starts in the fourth semester, studying the Cell and Tissue biochemistry (BCT I) program. BCT I subjects include the study of structure and function of biomolecules, as well as all basic cell biochemistry processes. It is our responsibility to introduce QFB students into the wonderful world of cell and molecular biology by teaching and showing them updated protocols of biochemistry and molecular biology. Therefore, we have updated our BCT I program by including theoretical and practical sessions on extraction, identification and quantification of nucleic acids, electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction technique as well as cell culture, western blot, ELISA and flow cytometry. Our purpose is to provide our students at early steps of their education with a number of techniques that allow them to explore capacity and function of the cell, through the identification, measurement and analysis of genomic, transcriptional and protein expression. Updating the BCT I program will help us to prepare our QFB students for their future professional activities [3].

Supported by DGAPA PAPIME PE206913

References:
[1] Study program from the QFB curricula at the Faculty for Higher Education (FES) Zaragoza of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), 2006.
[2] Kielgast P. (1997). The pharmacist in the 21th century. Int. Pharm. J. 11.
[3] Henriques RRD. (2008). Los farmacéuticos a la entrada del siglo XXI. Rev Cubana Farm 42:, Available at: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-75152008000100012&lng=es. Accessed April 2, 2014

Keywords:

Curricular actualization, teaching, molecular biology.