The basic principle of biochemistry is that the processes of living things are ultimately explicable in terms of the properties and interactions of the molecules from which they are made. Biochemists study molecular processes in all types of organisms - and how errors in these processes can cause disease. In your first year, you will focus on understanding of the fundamental biological processes that occur in cells, including DNA and protein synthesis, as well as the metabolic reactions that sustain cells and organisms. In your second and final years you will develop a greater understanding of how molecular processes are exquisitely controlled to ensure that the right process occurs in the right location – and at the right time. This control is essential to the correct functioning of cells, and the body as a whole, and errors can lead to disastrous consequences. One example of this is in cancer formation, where genetic mutations lead to loss of control of proteins that govern when cells replicate. You will learn how our knowledge of these molecular processes is leading to breakthroughs in disease treatment, through targeting and inactivating key molecules in defective pathways.