Unit information: New Horizons in Medicine in 2018/19

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	None
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 and workshops. 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 knocdown/knockin technologies
• Identification of mutations in individual patients and how these can be exploited therapeutically.
• The use of animal models, from mice through to flies, to understand the cellular changes occurring in disease states
• Using stem cells in regenerative medicine
• Translation of findings from animal models to the clinic – bench to bedside

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 a 3-hour summative examination in May/June, which contributes 90% of the unit mark and 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 assessing data handling/data interpretation and experimental design skills. The remaining 10% of the unit mark will come from completing coursework, based on a Section B style of exam question, testing data handling/data interpretation and/or experimental design skills.

Reading and References

Reviews and key references from the current scientific literature