Topics in Medical Biosciences

In this module you will study key areas which may include:

Blood constituents and immunology. You will learn about topics such as the types and roles of blood cells, haemogloblin synthesis and degradation, blood coagulation and homeostasis, blood lipids, arterial and venous thrombosis, heart attack and stroke.

Immunology: immune cell function and immunology methods with particular reference to clinically important areas.

Cancer. You will learn about the biology of human cancer, the role of genetics and environmental factors in the origin of cancer and the development of anti-cancer treatments.

Neurobiology. You will learn about molecular neurobiology and neurotransmitters and how they affect brain functions such as memory and how the brain responds to opiates.

This module builds upon aspects of biochemistry, cell biology and physiology learnt in year 1 and will be useful for a number of advanced modules such as those that include neurobiology, cancer and immunology taken in year 3.

A practical class, for example, “Therapeutic antibody hybridoma screening”, is formative and will provide an opportunity for students to peer mark the analysis and presentation of the data that they generate. 

By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the blood and immune system, its cellular and protein components, and their roles in health and disease.
• Demonstrate an understanding of molecular neurobiology with particular reference to the action of neurotransmitters.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the mode of action, clinical efficacy, and cost of treatment for of a number of drugs which affect different physiological systems and are used in the treatment of various diseases the development and treatment of cancer.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how the biotech/biopharma industry initiate drug discovery programmes to identify novel therapies to treat human disease.