This is the first part of a half-year survey course aimed to introduce Pharmacy students to various biotechnology-related techniques and their applications in the discovering and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as biomedical research. The course begins with a general introduction to the physicochemical characteristics, pharmacology, and formulation of proteins and the basics in protein production and manufacturing. Since the production, downstream processing, and characterization of biopharmaceuticals are in many aspects very different from conventional small molecular therapeutics, issues relevant to the handling and delivering of those products are also highlighted. Finally, several approved and potential biopharmaceuticals are discussed. Two hours of lecture per week.