LSC-30028 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

This module will describe and promote the understanding of advances in medicine that have impacted on diagnosis, treatment, prevention of a range of diseases. It will highlight fast-emerging areas of research which are striving to improve diagnosis including nanotechnology and new biochemical tests in the fields of heart disease, cancer and fertility investigations which will potentially improve patient care. The module will provide insight into the advancing field of personalised medicine, which allows optimisation of treatment based on an individuals genetic and clinical information and also an area of cutting edge research into the use of non-coding RNA as a therapeutic tool. The module will also provide an opportunity to discuss new developments in the fields of tissue engineering and stem cell technologies, which have seen huge advances in recent years. The module will address the cutting-edge advances in vaccinology and islet transplantation
All the sessions will be in the form of lectures or case studies and will be delivered by academics and clinical scientists who are currently engaged in active research in these fast-moving areas. In addition there will be opportunities for the student to appraise the current thinking in these areas and develop and present their own views.
Indicative content includes:
Magnetic nanoparticles in biology and medicine
Stem cells for the treatment of diseases
Personalised Medicine and development of diagnostic tests
Cellular mechanisms and therapeutic advances in type 1 diabetes mellitus
Non-coding RNAs: bridging biology and therapy
Advances in vaccine development

This module will describe and promote the understanding of advances in medicine that have impacted on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care and control of relapse in a range of diseases including, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer and organ dysfunction.

Intended Learning Outcomes

review current strategies in tissue engineering and evaluate the importance and limitations of these technologies: 2
evaluate current research in the fast-moving field of nanotechnology and their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools of the future: 2
evaluate current research in the fast-moving field of non-coding RNA and evaluate their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools of the future: 2
review the current research in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and evaluate the benefits and limitations of their application: 2
evaluate the benefits and limitations of current research in the fast-growing field of personalized medicine and the development of new diagnostic tests, to optimise treatment for individual patients: 2
review the current research in fast-moving field of vaccinology and evaluate their importance and limitations as therapeutic tools: 2
communicate information and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences: 1,2
manage their own learning and make use of primary sources: 1,2
evaluate and compare current developments in stem cell research in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and neurodegenerative diseases and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages associated with this technology: 2

Study hours

Lectures 18 hours
Exam 2 hours
Independent study and poster preparation 130 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment