The course gives a detailed insight into the fields of genomics and proteomics. Genomics is the study of the functions and interactions of the genes in a genome whereas proteomics is defined as the study of all the proteins expressed by the genome. Genomics and proteomics are central to modern biotechnology and are key to a wide range of research areas in the biological sciences including medical and environmental biotechnology. Prior to the human genome project, the number of known genes was limited as was the number of targets available for drug discovery. The sequencing of the human genome and the rapid emergence of high-throughput genomic and proteomic techniques is resulting in a surge of new drug targets such as extracellular receptors, ion channels, transporters, intracellular second messengers, transcription factors and chromosomal DNA itself. The genome and the proteome are intimately linked between a complex pathway of transcription and translation, which principally involves mRNA processing, protein folding and posttranslational modifications. Both genomics and proteomics incorporate areas of biotechnology, bioinformatics and biology, and utilise a multitude of methods and techniques to study gene and protein expression profiles of cells and whole biological systems. The course is divided into four distinct units. Unit one is an introduction to the field of genomics and includes topics such as the organisation and sequencing of the human genome, single nucleotide polymorphisms and techniques for identifying gene expression patterns. Unit two addresses the closely related areas of functional, structural and comparative genomics. Topics such as genetic testing, the use of array technologies for molecular profiling, pharmacogenomics and high-throughput technologies are covered. Unit three gives a detailed description of the current state of expression, cell map and modular proteomics. Basic technologies used in protein separations and detection including chip-based technologies are described. Unit 4 is concerned with protein characterisation and associated techniques and methods including mass spectrometry.