BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

Year 2 Core Modules

You must study and pass all five core modules​

Brief description

Build on your knowledge of programming taught in earlier modules (e.g. arrays, structures, simple collections). Gain an introduction to the standard data structures and algorithms that form the core of algorithmic thought in computer science and to the idea of reasoning about the behaviour and performance of a computer program.

Indicative content:

• Reasoning about performance: The idea of an algorithm, time and space complexity, abstract data types.
• Basic data structures: Linked lists, stacks, queues, hash tables.
• Sorting and searching: Exhaustive and binary search, common sorting algorithms.
• Trees: Simple trees, tree search algorithms, tree representations (XML, JSON).
• Graphs: Simple and directed graphs, graph algorithms.

Brief description

Dynamic web applications, through client-side and server side internet development on a full-stack platform.

Indicative content:

• Web standards: Application of HTML5 and CSS to develop responsive designs.
• Client-side technologies: Implementation of JavaScript, libraries, and frameworks to create effective user interfaces within an appropriate development practice and methodology.
• Design techniques: Appropriate techniques for dynamic web applications.
• Data persistence: The use of relevant data persistence and consideration of appropriate use.
• Server-side scripting technologies: Using server-side technologies to provide functionality. Consideration of the processes involved, and the benefits/drawbacks of processing on the server.
• Security and legal issues: Consider legal and security issues including privacy, transparency, data protection, GDPR, authorisation and validation.
• Practical aspects of security: Appropriate use of network protocols, secure programming, and testing strategies.

Brief description

The design and implementation of object-oriented software and relational databases. In both contexts,  review existing designs, develop your own to meet stated requirements, critically evaluate them and use them to create example implementations.

Indicative content:

• Entity relationship (ER) modelling: Identifying entities; 1-1, 1-many and many-many relationships; design notation; ER in OO software and database design.
• Relational database design: Using primary and foreign keys to realise 1-1 and 1-many relationships; link tables for many-many relationships; designing to meet application data requirements; normalisation.
• SQL: SQL as a programming language; basic relational algebra; expressing unions and joins; selecting, extracting, editing and inserting data; writing SQL to meet functional requirements.
• OO software and SQL: Including SQL into OO software; integrating OO software and database designs; realising designs in code.
• Development methodologies: The role of a methodology; review different methodologies such as waterfall, RAD, agile, TDD; appraise the role of design within different methodologies.

Brief description

Generic concepts for the optimisation of interactions between a user and computing systems and service, and how these interactions can be evaluated. Learn about research methods, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and ethics in the data gathering process, as well as interface design. Explore aspects of usability and accessibility.

Indicative content:

• Designing Experiments: Creating and building small experiments that relate to aspects of computing.
• Usability and Accessibility: Developing interfaces that are usable and accessible under consideration of platform.
• Professional and Ethical Issues: Consideration of issues that affect professionalism and ethical procedures in computing industries.
• Data Analysis and Evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods.

Brief description

Build on the earlier module, Data Structures and Algorithms 1. Gain an introduction to parallel programming on shared-memory and GPU architecture, and the design techniques underpinning parallel applications. Use a range of case studies drawn from typical real-world applications.

Indicative content:

• Measuring performance: Basic techniques, sources of error (round off, range, instability, discretisation), profiling, analysing and presenting results.
• Parallel programming: Why to parallelise, Amdahl’s law, high-level approaches to parallelisation, parallel design.
• Low-level programming with threads: Starting and joining threads, sharing data safely, mutual exclusion, synchronisation objects, lock-free.
• High-level parallel programming: Task-based parallelism, data-parallel problems, exploiting locality.
• Instruction-level parallelism: SIMD instructions, automatic vectorisation.
• GPGPU: GPU architectures, appropriate algorithms for GPUs, GPU profiling.
• Application case studies: Awareness of common sorting, numerical, image processing and searching and optimization algorithms (and associated data structures) and a recognition as to which are relevant for chosen field of study e.g. Spatial trees, pathfinding and AI, database indexing, password hashing, simulation, file carving] and which can benefit from parallelisation.

Year 2 Microcredentials - Term 2

If you are a Direct Entrant (new student) to this year of study and have not previously taken module ABE101, then you MUST take ABE201 as part of your Microcredential selection. If you have previously taken ABE101 then you are NOT permitted to take ABE201.

Instructions: Please choose a total of TWENTY credits of microcredential (ABE) modules.

Brief description

Throughout the microcredential you will become familiar with university systems (including the virtual learning environment), consider what attributes make a successful student and develop key successful student habits.

Indicative content

• Navigating Abertay Systems: Be introduced to and understand how to engage with Abertay systems and tools such as MyLearningSpace, MS Teams, OASIS, MyAbertay etc.
• Expectations of University and You: Explore your own and the universities expectations of you and of the university; Consider the code of conduct; independent learning; blended learning; how university is structured; health and safety; and the Abertay attributes.
• Understanding and Searching Information: How scholarly information is generated and disseminated, key characteristics of different information types. Planning, using, and refining appropriate search strategies; online search tools; using a range of web and database search functionality. 
• Successful Student Behaviours: Develop strategies to key successful student behaviours including Defeating Procrastination, Time Management, Notetaking and preparing for classes, Growth Mindset, Accessing student support and opportunities.
• Referencing: Understand what is meant by academic integrity, plagiarism, and the need for appropriate referencing; creating reference lists and in-text citations; use of referencing tools to manage information.
• Sounding Academic: Explore what lecturers mean by “academic style” and “the right language”; Understand what is meant by and how to learn the rules of academic writing characteristics. Consider how this differs between college and university; Learn how to paraphrase. Explore how assessments, marking and feedback works at university.
• Evaluating Information: Using appropriate quality criteria to critically evaluate information from any source to determine authority and bias.

Brief description

This microcredential provides you with the space and time to develop your skills in designing, planning, delivering, and showcasing an artefact responding to the societal issue. The microcredential is flexible and you will have a choice of what and how you create your response.

Indicative content

• The Big Issue: You will be introduced to the big society issue that will be the focus of your artefact response. Learning materials available will help you consider your response to the challenge.
• Developing Ideas: You will think creatively as to how you will respond to the big issue. You will consider your intended artefact aims, outcomes and target audience. 
• Responding to the Challenge: Resources and guidance will be available as you respond to the challenge and create your artefact.
• Preparing for the Showcase: Guidance will be available on how best to showcase your artefact for the assessment. You will develop your presentation skills to support you in showcasing the artefact. 
• Showcase Event: You will attend a showcase event and present your artefact.

Brief description

You will discuss a range of anti-racist approaches and how they apply within the context of professional communications. You will examine case studies and scenarios to identify the nature of bias in society explore ways to be anti-racist especially in professional communications.

Indicative content

• Racial Bias in Society: Using case studies and scenarios to discuss various forms of racism in society, you will explore the need for anti-racist practice in professional communications. 
• Classification of Anti-Racist Practice: This section compares different anti-racists approaches applied across several contexts. You will discuss the challenges and benefits of each approach. You will identify barriers to implementation of anti-racist practice.
• Discuss Anti-Racist Approaches for Successful Professional Communications: You will be introduced to various communications frameworks (e.g. the humanity-centric framework) and will explore scenarios for the application of these frameworks in a range of professional contexts.
• Embedding Anti-Racism in Digital and Social Media Communications: How can you discuss matters of race and anti-racism on digital and social media while maintaining a professional persona. We will examine cases for best practices and explore ways to avoid bigoted language in digital communications. 

Brief description

In this module you will study two ways of analysing language: (i) a basic introduction to conversation analysis and discourse analysis as applied to ordinary talk/texting, and (ii) and introduction text mining, based on identifying patterns and developing insights from text-based data available on the Internet (e.g., social media data, online texts, online reviews etc).

Indicative content

• Conversation Analysis and Talk and Text as Action: A brief overview of the CA focus on language as action; an examination of how people talk in terms of questions, answers, invitations, excuses, justifications etc.; an examination of texting, emojis, misunderstandings.
• Text Mining: Introduction to text mining and its uses in a social sciences and business context; Online data sources; The text mining process: data collection, pre-processing and analysis; effectively communicating and visualising insights from textual data.

Brief description

By the end of this microcredential, you will be able to evaluate and select machine learning algorithms and AWS services to be appropriately applied to different business problems.

Indicative content

• Introduction to Machine Learning: What is ML? ML process, business problem solved with ML, ML tools, Amazon SageMaker, ML challenges, supervised learning (regression, classification), unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction), reinforcement learning, etc.
• Implementing a ML pipeline using Amazon Sage Maker: Formulating ML problems, collecting and securing data, extracting, transferring and loading data, evaluating your data, finding corelation, feature engineering, data cleaning, dealing with outliers, training, deployment, performance evaluation, hyperparameters and model tuning.
• Forecasting: Time series analysis, Amazon Forecast, Implementing a forecast model, Stock Predictions.
• Computer Vision: Facial Recognition, Image and Video Analysis, Dataset Preparation.
• Natural Language Processing: Amazon Comprehend, Polly, Translate, and Lex, Creating a chatbot, Alexa, etc.

Brief description

This online module will support you to get familiar with sustainability and introduce you to tools that can help you to understand and reduce your climate impact. By increasing your sustainability self-awareness, you will be able to make a positive difference in your own life, and in the organisations and communities around you.

Indicative content

• What is sustainability and how is it linked to Climate Change?: We define sustainability, enhancing understanding of the links between society, economy, and environment. Climate change is explained and linked to sustainability. We provide clear accessible information about the reliable science of climate change. We describe the need efforts towards limiting human-induced global warming (limiting cumulative CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions). 
• Global Sustainability: We introduce the United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. 
• Personal Sustainability: The WWF environmental footprint tool is a great way to start your personal sustainability journey. The planet is in crisis - from climate change to the pollution in our oceans and devastation of our forests. It's up to all of us to fix it. Take your first step with our environmental footprint calculator. 
• Community Sustainability and Climate Resilience: Community climate resilience comes in many forms. In this topic we introduce ideas which can provide multiple benefits of people, planet, and prosperity. We showcase inspiring examples whereby working with natural processes (Biophilic design, blue and green infrastructure) we can connect people with nature to improve their well-being and quality of life, whilst simultaneously tackling climate change and storing carbon.
• Global Solutions: What is the world doing about it? What impact do Global Climate and Biodiversity agreements (COP26 etc) really have? What’s happening here? Where are the challenges and the good news stories? We showcase positive initiatives focussed on progress.

Brief description

By the end of the module, you will know more about key aspects of nutrition and health and be better equipped to identify and tackle the barriers that prevent you from eating well.

Indicative content

• Healthy eating on a budget: This topic will show you that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive! You will be given basic nutritional knowledge, as well as skills and practical tips to be able to eat a healthy diet on a budget. You will then be able to develop your own menu and share it with your peers, so you learn from us as well as from each other.
• Prebiotics, probiotics and health: You will learn about the importance of our microbiota on health, and how what we eat can modulate it. You will be provided with cooking tips and will be able to develop your own fermented foods for better gut health.
• Fat or sugar, which is worse?: You may have heard that fats are bad for our health, or perhaps you have heard it is all about the sugars? You will learn about the role of both sugars and fats in our diet; what makes them good or bad for health and the science behind it. You will be given the tools to assess your own sugar and fat intake as well as tips to implement the changes you need to eat better. 
• The British diet vs Mediterranean diet: What is a Mediterranean diet and what are its real benefits? Is it just a diet or a pattern? Can we get the same benefits as those living in Mediterranean countries? In this topic, you will explore how feasible it is for us to adopt the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, considering the seasonality of ingredients as well as sustainability. 
• What drives our food choices?: How healthy do you think your diet is? Do you find it easy to eat well? With this topic you will become more aware of our obesogenic environment, of how the food industry talks to us, and how the media report nutritional claims. You will learn to look more closely and more critically at your environment, so you can make healthier decisions.

Brief description

This microcredential will help you to refine your current writing skills through the analysis and discussion of a range of texts and exercises, enabling you to then apply these techniques to assignments for your other modules.

Indicative content

• Speaking the language: How to develop your academic and professional vocabulary: understanding the genre; understanding your reader’s expectations.
• Meeting expectations: Why different assignments have different requirements: decoding instructions; selecting appropriate writing techniques.
• Tightening up the nuts and bolts: How to improve your writing accuracy: reviewing key grammar and punctuation issues; improving your editing and proofreading.
• Standing on the shoulders of giants: How to borrow from the greats: reviewing the principles of citing sources; using writing techniques to incorporate research into writing.

Brief description

This module will help you develop a better understanding of the difference between media reporting and scientific evaluation. It will equip you with the skills to look beyond sensational stories related to human behaviour and dig deeper into a topic area to validate the evidence.

Indicative content

• Paranormal Beliefs and Experiences: Is Extrasensory Perception Real? Is there really evidence that we can predict the future?
• Myths about the Brain: Can repressed memories be recovered in therapy? How easily are false memories created? What are the implications for the justice system? 
• Myths about our Mind and Body: Is the key to success in everyday life simply a case of posing like a powerful superhero? 
• Myths about Language: Does being bilingual make you smarter and keep your brain younger? Are bilingual people less likely to get dementia as a result of this lifelong brain training?

Brief description

Through this microcredential you will gain an insight into what the world of work may look like in the (near) future. This includes developing a knowledge of how the economy and labour market evolves and why individual skills-sets and employability are so important and intrinsically linked to this process.

Indicative content

• The future of work: What will the future of work look like? What is used to predict how the world or work will change? Can the future of the economy and of work be accurately predicted? 
• Key factors that influence change: Identifying some of the key factors that influence how the world of work and our economy evolves and changes.
• The key role of skills and personal employability: The emergence and decline of skills: skills are fundamental to the economy (and graduate employers). What skills will be most in demand and/or be most valuable to our economy in future and why? Understand the importance of skills to the economy (and to graduate employers) at both the macro and micro level. Know what specific new skills are emerging and becoming more valuable and sought after, (as others are in decline) for our modern economy and graduate labour market. 
• Labour market information - what is it for?: Labour market Information is hugely important to our understanding of our economy at any given time: and also, in looking at the present and past to help predict future growth, opportunities, shortages and skills gaps. Recognise the importance of key Labour Market Information (LMI). Have the ability to source and use key Labour Market Information (LMI). Understand how to use accurate Labour Market Information as a tool to help their own personal development and future career planning. 
• What now?: Some help and steer – suggestions to you may wish to use your new knowledge and insight to help with your own career aspirations, planning and personal/professional development while at university.

Brief description

Some businesses have the sole focus of making money whereas others exist to also make a difference. Social enterprises are becoming more popular, and recognisable, and are making an impact across the world. From supporting the homeless, to giving waste products a second life, social enterprises are fighting for various causes. 

Indicative content

• What is a social enterprise and how does it function?: What the definition of a social enterprise is with examples from different sectors.
• How do social enterprises identify problems to tackle?: How social enterprises decide on what they will tackle and how they will do it. 
• How do you gather evidence that there is a problem requiring a solution?: Way in which you can gather evidence and data to validate the idea for a social enterprise. Determining needs and wants within a category. 
• How to identify skills and knowledge gaps: Understanding the skillsets within a founding team to fulfil the tasks required to start a social enterprise. 
• How to understand the problem you are trying to solve: Knowing the problem, you are trying to solve and how this effects the target customers the social enterprise is aimed at. Looking at the issues in a customer-focussed way. 
• How to develop a social impact plan: What is involved in a social impact plan and how to put one together. 

Brief description

This module will introduce you to the study of AI and Society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a set of technologies and concepts and can be understood as using computers and software to denote problem-solving capacities and knowledge acquisition (intelligence) which otherwise we believe only belongs to natural beings such as humans.

Indicative content

• Introduction to the core concepts: A brief introduction to the concepts of “artificial”, “intelligence” and “society”. 
• Introduction to the problem of AI and Society: A discussion of where the problem of the impact of AI on Society comes from, presentation of some of the original debates and examples.
• Contemporary debates: A discussion of the contemporary debates about the impact of AI on Society, with examples.

Brief description

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how has it shaped our past and present? These are questions we will explore on a guided tour of AI from the past to the present and the future. You will develop a better understanding of what AI is and isn’t.

Indicative content

• Historical AI: Tracing the historical development of “traditional” AI systems including aircraft autopilots, expert systems, and accounting/financial software.
• Current AI: Covering the contemporary generation of AI technologies in areas such as speech recognition (e.g., Alexa, Siri) and recommendation systems (e.g., Amazon, YouTube). Examples will be drawn from Health, Sport, Games, Engineering, Business, Law and Computing. 
• Future AI: Exploring the limitations of today’s AI when it comes to general intelligence and contextual adaptation. Examples will be drawn from Health, Sport, Games, Engineering, Business, Law and Computing.
• My AI: How AI will impact your future, and how you can use AI to help you achieve your career goals.  Reflection on how AI may inform your subject area going forward.

Brief description

This microcredential is aimed at you, if you have an interest in technology but are not experts. The microcredential will develop your digital safety and how to stay safe online.

Indicative content

• Threat Landscape: Cyberattacks and online threats. System vulnerabilities. Social Engineering. Rights and computer laws.
• Authentication: Password security. Biometrics. MFA and Password managers. Good practices for authentication.
• Secure Communication: Web browser security. Certificates and trust. Effective encryption. Secure communication methods.
• Personal Information Privacy: Information leakage. Personal information privacy and open-source intelligence. Device encryption and security. Security mindfulness.
• Malware: Types of malware. Identifying malicious software. Malware propagation techniques. Malware removal and preventative measures.

Brief description

This microcredential will help you to develop and build your own confidence in applying numeracy skills in real world situations.

Indicative content

• What is my GPA and how likely am I to get a First? (BASIC NUMERACY): Calculation and manipulation of data using Percentages, Indices (Powers), Roots, Probability, and simple equations. 
• The power of prediction (GRAPHS): Straight line graphs, Gradients, Equations of a straight line, Intercepts. Drawing graphs - Linear equations, Distances between points. Simultaneous linear equations.  
• Love a good puzzle (ALGEBRA): Changing subject of formulae. Factorisation - common factors, Difference of two squares, Trinomials. Solving simultaneous equations by Substitution and Elimination.
• Advanced power of prediction (FUNCTIONS): Introduction to functions – Linear and Quadratic and solving quadratic equations. Factorising Quadratic equations.
• Love a good triangle (TRIGONOMETRY): Trignometric functions - Sine, cosine and tangent. Trignometric formulae.

Brief description

In this microcredential, you will learn more about how digital media production professionals in the UK and China are working together to reduce barriers and identify new opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Indicative content

• History and future of videogames in China: Focussing on the videogame sector as a case study of Chinese digital creative industries, how has the videogames market and industry developed in China, how is the Chinese videogames economy currently constituted, and what does the future hold?
• Consumer trends and audience preferences: What is popular with audiences in China? What can we note about preferences in terms of narrative content, aesthetics, play styles etc. when compared with other markets?
• Policy and regulation: What unique regulations or limitations are imposed on digital media within China, and what similarities are there with other national and transnational regulations? How is creative content development and publishing shaped by policy in China? What social and ethical challenges are presented by regulation, in China as well as in the UK?
• Transnational working and co-production: How is digital creative content conceived, developed, and released by professionals working across borders? What are the challenges for small and independent creative studios, compared with multi-nationals with studios based in and outside China?
• Publishing in China: How do digital media content like videogames make it to market in China? What processes and requirements must creative businesses be aware of, and how do developers find, connect to, and work with Chinese publishers? How to consumers in China access content, including on grey markets?
• Challenges and success: Hear from UK and Chinese professionals on the China market, co-operation, the hurdles they cleared, and how they found success.

Brief description

Increasingly, the role of creativity in supporting and maintaining wellbeing is being researched and celebrated. This module will introduce you to the current theory in this area, as well as a range of creative resources shown to be helpful for both self-care and the support of others.

Indicative content

• Why does creativity matter?: An introduction to why creativity matters when it comes to mental health.
• Your brain on words: The place of stories in their various forms as a resource for wellbeing.
• Engaging the senses: The potential of tools such as music and art for self-care.

Year 3 Core Modules

You must study and pass all six core modules

Brief description

Cellular, tissue and molecular bases of disease and dysfunction in humans. General processes and approaches for diagnosis and monitoring and selected pathologies in an integrative context.

Indicative content:​

• Basic principles of Pathology: Structural-functional correlations, signs, symptoms and syndromes; pathological terms and terminology; organisation of pathology services. The role and future of molecular pathology. The vital role of imaging in pathology.
• Core techniques in Clinical Biochemistry: Introduction: Range of diagnostic, monitoring and screening tests; basics of test design, sample handling and test interpretation. Evaluation of analytes in selected specific conditions (diseases and dysfunctions) eg. carbohydrate and lipid disorders, and for specific organ/system functions eg. liver, kidney, heart. Water, electrolytes and acid-base balance. Tumour markers.
• Core techniques in Cytopathology and Histopathology: Histotechnique: Types of microscopy and applications in cyto-/histopathology; preparation of cells and tissues; microtomy, cryomicrotomy and ultramicrotomy; range of routine and special stains; practical challenges of staining; reporting procedures. Structure/ultrastructure of normal cells and tissues; structural/ultrastructural correlates of disease. Immunocytochemical approaches eg probe range, FISH. Role of imaging in pathological screening, diagnosis and monitoring.​
• Understanding Neoplasia: Distinctive characteristics of neoplasms; Benign- malignant spectrum; cancer classification systems; terminology; characteristics of cancer cells (and their use in diagnosis). Molecular pathogenesis/multi- step nature of neoplasia.Metastasis. Clinical consequences of established malignancies eg.paraneoplastic syndromes.
• Cellular Pathology - Cell Injury, Adaptation and Death: Cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of the cell cycle, DNA damage and repair and associated diseases. Responses to injury. Necrosis and apoptosis. Patterns and types of of necrosis. Adaptive responses to injury eg. hyperplasia, atrophy,metaplasia, dysplasia (Neoplasia considered under separate heading). Abnormal deposition; calcification.
• General Pathology - Inflammation and Repair: Acute inflammation - Sequence, vascular dimensions, mediators. Chronic inflammations. Tissue repair processes (At tissue, cellular and molecular levels). Repair of selected tissues eg. skin, bone. New developments in tissue repair. Effects of aging on repair. Immunopatholgical dimensions.
• Systemic Pathology: Selected Dysfunctions: Selected systems - In-depth illustrations of the integration of (1) Cellular, molecular and systemic approaches;(2)Investigative techniques; and (3) Management of clinical consequences. Examples will be taken from: (1) Colorectal carcinomas, IBDs, stomach cancers; (2) Female reproductive cancers; (3) Hepato-cellular failures and other hepatobiliary dysfunctions; and (4) Renal pathologies. 

Brief description

Information relevant to professional work in the clinical environment, and of bioethics (medical ethics). The module covers essential aspects of the profession that are mandatory for all students on both programme routes (standard and applied), in order to meet IBMS accreditation requirements. It’s an essential pre-requisite for students undertaking subsequent hospital placements on the Applied route, in order to meet HCPC approval requirements.

Indicative content:​

• Management and professional issues in the NHS context: Professional regulation and conduct, role of the Biomedical Scientist, user demand and management of staff and workload, training and CPD, effective team working.
• Health and safety: Legislation governing laboratory Health and safety, hazard identification and risk assessment, COSHH, biological safety.
• Bioscience industry: The role of the ICH Guidelines (Quality, Safety, Efficacy), FDA Regulations and their role in Biotech/Biological Product Development and Manufacture.
• Bioethics: Ethical approaches: deontological and teleological. Ethical systems: intuitive responses, religious laws, rights, utilitarianism. Application of ethical approaches and principles to contemporary bioscience and biomedical issues.

Brief description

Clinical detection, diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of a variety of human diseases. A practical study of blood and constituents in normal and diseased states and diagnostic investigations.

Indicative content:​

• Haematology: Red cell, white cell and platelet disorders and their causes. Inherited and acquired anaemias, malignant and other blood disorders. Blood coagulation and its defects.
• Serology and transfusion science: Blood group systems. Donor blood collection. Compatibility testing and transfusion hazards. Blood product and reagent preparation, testing, storage and use.
• Haematology and serology practicals: Morphological features of blood cells, and their classification. Blood processing and testing.

Brief description

Contemporary medical biotechnologies that are currently being either developed or routinely used, in the life science sector.

Indicative content:​

• Contemporary techniques in medical biotechnology: Contemporary medical biotechnologies e.g Next generation genomic and transcriptomic sequencing, proteomics, interactomics, metabolomics.
• The use of current medical biotechnologies in the public and private sector: Nucleic acid and protein diagnostics, methods that lead to diagnostic screening techniques and drug discovery. For example diagnostic nucleic acid techniques, immune diagnostic kits, targeted drug screening using enzymes (eg. kinases), proteins (eg. cytochrome P450), from laboratory to market will be explained and demonstrated (during industrial visits).

Brief description

The processes involved in experimental design/assay development and testing. Gain the necessary basic practical/analytical skills and theoretical knowledge required to be a reliable and independent laboratory worker.

Indicative content:​

• Experimental design and statistics/data analysis: Determining objectives and specifying hypothesis; factors, levels, blocking and randomisation; use of appropriate statistical tests, using the statistical package SPSS.
• Mini investigation: Carry out a mini project in which a variety of experimental methods are applied and critically evaluated (the exact nature of the techniques used will depend on the nature of the project and will vary).
• Information literacy: Plan and conduct literature search, making use of a wide range of resources, including full-text and abstracting databases as well as reference management software.
• Principles of experimental techniques: Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of experimental techniques used in the execution of the mini-project including specific strengths and limitations.

Brief description

The process of turning basic biological research into an end product e.g. a drug, licenced for clinical use.

Indicative content:​

• Process and quality management: Process and quality management as key themes throughout drug development: Good laboratory practice, good clinical practice and good manufacturing practice. The role of Quality by Design, Regulatory Affairs and quality assurance in drug licencing. The role of MHRA and FDA, etc.
• Identifying and developing candidate drug molecules: Examining clinical drivers, QSAR, high-throughput-screening, intellectual property.
• Cellular structures as drug targets: Cellular structures as drug targets focusing mainly on cell surface receptors: Pharmacodynamics of drug-receptor binding. Quantifying drug efficacy and binding in vitro.
• Preclinical development: Pharmacokinetics, toxicity studies in animal models.
• Clinical trials: Clinical Trials Good Clinical Practice, Phase I to IV of clinical trials. Study design trial, sources of bias, recruitment, and sample size, analysis of data Per-protocol/intention to treat analysis.
• Guest lecturer from industry: Product development and marketing.
• ​​Large scale manufacturing: Large scale manufacturing, Regulatory approval, post market monitoring (Phase (IV).

Year 4 Core Modules

You must study and pass all five core modules

Brief description

Advanced insight into current and emerging advanced aspects of human medical genetics. Molecular basis, screening, investigation and treatment of genetic diseases.

Indicative content:​

• Principles and concepts in human genetic diseases: Major sources and forms of genetic disease will be considered at an advanced level. To include (inter alia): developmental aberrations, polygenic effects and epigenetic changes. Examples of specific disorders - specific cases selected of which to be for the coursework (individualised titles) - include (inter alia): haemoglobinopathies, developmental disorders, inherited forms of blindness, muscular dystrophy, hereditary cancers, neurodegenerative conditions and psychiatric disorders.
• Techniques relevant to clinical genetics: The focus will be on emerging technologies. Pre-implantation diagnosis. Pre-natal screening and testing. The use of sequencing for medical diagnostics and screening. Bioethics of genetic screening and testing. Practical work is likely to focus on DNA extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing and fragment analysis in disease diagnosis.
• Genetic therapies for human diseases: Therapies in relation to the selected human diseases. Somatic gene therapy: in vivo and ex vivo approaches. Gene therapy for cancer. Gene targeting and gene editing. Germline genetic modification. Bioethics of genetic therapies.

Brief description

The scientific basis of health and dysfunction of selective systems in an integrative context. Current and future treatment options.

Indicative content:​

• Central nervous system pathology: A range of neuropathological disorders split into four clear categories. A: Neurodegenerative disorders e.g. Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s. B: Strokes – e.g. Haemoragic stroke, Ischaemic stroke,and transient ischemic attacks. C: Acute brain injury – Primary and Secondary injuries. D: Brain tumours – e.g. astrocytoma. ependymoma,oligodendroglioma.
• Reproductive/Developmental pathophysiology: A: Male UG disorders. B: Female reproductive system disorders. C: Infertility: diagnosis and treatment. D: Downs syndrome: clinical diagnosis.
• Metabolic disorders: Causes, consequences, comorbidities, treatment and models of A: Diabetes. B: Obesity. C: Metabolic syndrome and their interrelations.

Brief description

A perspective on public health, current threats to health and healthcare within populations and mechanisms and organisations for managing diseases.

Indicative content:

• Public Health and Epidemiology Concepts: Understand terms such as cluster, outbreak, endemic, epidemic, pandemic and evaluate research methods in the field of epidemiology. Neglected diseases.
• Natural and anthropogenic sources of disease: Critical awareness of disease sources of both natural origin such as infectious diseases; bacterial, viral and parasitic as well as diseases caused by environmental, lifestyle and social determinants.
• Qualitative and quantitative data streams: Accessing, using and appraising qualitative, quantitative and 'semi- quantitative' health data from local, national and international sources.
• Disease surveillance and monitoring: The process of disease surveillance from a local level (reporting from NHS labs) to the role of national and international organisations, such as governments, World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control. How these organisations respond to and manage new and emerging health threats.
• Ethics: Public health ethics. Role of national and international organisations in formulating policies based on evidence and ethical criteria.
• Prevention, Health Care and emergency risk management: Case studies examining strategies for minimising the impact of natural and anthropogenic diseases. Carrying out a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) in public health strategies.

Brief description

The theoretical underpinning and statistical skills required to pursue a detailed investigation of a selected research topic under the guidance of a member of staff.

Indicative content:​

• Research project management: The role of literature review in research. The principles and practice of GLP and GMP, Research methods, The role of literature review in research. Research project management. Time management in the research context.
• Research project development: Research ethics. Research health and safety. Statistical skills for research.

Brief description

Organise and carry out a research project. Interpret and evaluate the data, and communicate the findings. Develop the ability to apply intellectual, organisational and communication skills within a specific area of study.

Indicative content:​

• Project work: Effectively and efficiently conduct the project into a specific aspect of your discipline, under the supervision of a named academic or academic team.
• Project log/Lab book: Keep accurate records of your work in an appropriate format.
• Communication of findings: Produce a final project report within the discipline specific guidelines. Present the outcomes of the research project by means of a poster presentation.