This article outlines an undergraduate course focusing on supramolecular membrane protein complexes involved in the molecular pathogenesis of neuromuscular disorders. The emphasis of this course is to introduce students to the key elements involved in the ion regulation and membrane stabilization during muscle contraction and the role of these proteins in the pathobiochemistry of selected muscle diseases. Individual sections of the course involve the detailed analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying disorders related to myasthenia gravis, malignant hyperthermia, and dystrophinopathies. An introduction into modern biochemical, molecular biological, and pharmacological methodology used in the study of neuromuscular diseases is also provided. The potential sites for genetic, cell biological, and pharmacological interventions at different steps of the disease process are discussed. Experimental approaches to designing new therapeutic strategies such as gene and myoblast transfer therapy are evaluated using Duchenne muscular dystrophy and its related disorders as an example. The course emphasizes the need for understanding the cause and molecular mechanisms involved in specific muscle diseases to exploit this knowledge in developing more accurate diagnostic tests and most importantly to evaluate novel attempts at treating devastating muscular disorders. (Contains 1 table.)