Unit information: New Horizons in Medicine in 2017/18

Unit name	New Horizons in Medicine
Unit code	PHPH30021
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Chrissy Hammond
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	PHPH20010: Developmental Physiology of the Specialized Cell
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Faculty	Faculty of Life Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will concentrate on how recent advances in genomics and molecular biology can be exploited in the pursuit of personalised medicine through a series of seminars. The unit aims to develop an understanding of key concepts in molecular medicine through discussion of a number of disease scenarios including: cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and cystic fibrosis. Topics covered will include:

• Genome editing through CRISPR/Cas9 technology
• Identification of mutations in individual patients and how these can be exploited therapeutically.
• The use of animal models to understand the cellular changes occurring in disease states
• The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine
• Translation of findings from animal models to the clinic

Intended Learning Outcomes

• An in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of selected aspects of molecular medicine, with an ability to keep up-to-date with recent developments in the field and their application in a variety of disease scenarios.
• An understanding of how genetic techniques (e.g. genome editing, genome wide association studies, transcriptomics) are being used in the pursuit of personalised medicine, and how these techniques are performed.
• The ability to gather information from the primary scientific literature and to critically evaluate the material and appraise competing theories.
• An understanding of the risks and limitations of genetic modification therapies.

Teaching Information

Seminars

Assessment Information

The unit will be assessed through one 3-hour summative examination in May/June, which consists of two sections. In section A (50%), students will be expected to answer one essay question from a choice of 3, which will assess their knowledge and critical understanding of the field, and their ability to gather information from the primary scientific literature. In section B (50%), students will be expected to answer one multi-part compulsory question requiring data handling/data interpretation and experimental design.

Reading and References

Reviews and key references from the current scientific literature