Molecular and Structural Basis of Disease

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Provide a molecular description of viral infection and demonstrate how this has contributed to the development of therapeutic compounds.
• Molecular understanding of diabetes and insulin.
• Understand the molecular basis of epigenetic and understand how it contributes to disease.
• Understand the molecular processes that lead to development of amyloid diseases and demonstrate how this knowledge is driving the development of potential therapeutic strategies
• Describe the molecular details of selected protein kinases and their inhibitors in cancer development and treatment.

The course provides an insight into how molecular studies can be employed to further medical research and aid in the development of novel treatments and therapeutics. The course will cover a number of areas including the role of epigenetic in disease, amyloid diseases, the role of kinases in cancer, molecular understanding of diabetes and viral infections.

The lectures will: (i) emphasise selected medical examples where biochemical knowledge has provided an essential foundation for the understanding or management of human disease; (ii) describe how epigenetics contributes to disease and how it is studied; (iii) explain how our detailed knowledge of the molecular structure of enzymes and proteins has led to a molecular description of disease and infection, and (iv) how this molecular understanding of disease has contributed to knowledge based treatment strategies and the design of new therapeutics.

Teaching and learning methods

As a third year course this module is delivered entirely in the form fo lectures. Students are encouraged to engage with the lecturers if material is unclear and submit practical essays for formative feedback.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.