| Unit name | Frontiers in Infectious Diseases |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PANM30001 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Matthews |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
PANM22041, infection and Immunity PANM22042 Cellular and Molecular Pathology, MOLG22100 Recombinant DNA Technology, MOLG22200 Gene expression and rearrangement. |
| Co-requisites |
3 level 6/H units and Research Skills unit |
| School/department | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
The unit aims to impart an understanding of key steps in pathogen life cycles (host tissue/cell invasion, intracellular trafficking, replication and survival, persistence and dissemination) and how these are dealt with in molecular terms by the host cell defence mechanisms. This will extend to using this information to devise novel intervention strategies at the level of both prophylactic vaccination and therapeutic antimicrobial drug development. The emphasis will be on comparison: for example, the molecular mechanisms used to read “host cues” at each step of the pathogen life cycle, and the exploitation/manipulation of host structures and containment mechanisms. A significant element will be the understanding of current research methods used to study the interaction of viral and bacterial pathogens with mammalian hosts using high-throughput, systems based holistic approaches. This will include the principles of proteomics, transcriptomics and bioinformatics. The unit will also focus on how to read primary research papers in the area critically, as stand-alone pieces and a part of a wider review of related literature. The students will also have the opportunity to acquire an extra depth of understanding by having explored the online revision/learning aids and done extensive reading of their own using references pointed to in lectures as starting points.
Knowledge and understanding of: pathogen life cycles pathogen host interactions proteomic, transcriptomic and bioinformatics analysis of pathogen-host interactions the translation of basic research into the development of novel intervention strategies
Lectures, data interpretation and data handling sessions Independent study; students are expected to study the recommended literature
Summative 3 hour exam, to include 3 essays chosen from 6
Reviews and primary articles from the current literature
