BIOL3017 Molecular and Structural Basis of Disease
Module Overview
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 analysis of genetic diseases, amyloid diseases, the role of kinases in cancer, molecular understanding of diabetes, viral and bacterial infections.
Aims and Objectives
Module Aims
This module is designed for the biomedical scientists and biochemists to explore the molecular aspects of human disease and how this has contributed to knowledge based treatment strategies and the development of novel therapeutics.
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand the molecular basis of genetic diseases.
- Demonstrate how genes are linked to particular disorders through positional cloning.
- 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.
- Molecular understanding of diabetes and insulin.
- Provide a molecular description of viral infection and demonstrate how this has contributed to the development of therapeutic compounds.
Syllabus
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 analysis of genetic diseases, amyloid diseases, the role of kinases in cancer, molecular understanding of diabetes, viral and bacterial 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 the different types of genetic diseases and detail how they are identified and characterised; (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.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures. Students are strongly encouraged to attempt exam questions from previous years and to submit these for comments and feedback.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 24 |
| Independent Study | 126 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Assessment
Summative
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written exam (2 hours) | 100% |
Referral
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written exam (2 hours) | 100% |
Linked modules
Pre-requisites
To study this module, you will need to have studied the following module(s):
| Code | Module |
|---|---|
| BIOL2010 | Flow of Genetic Information |
| BIOL2011 | Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry |