M.Sc. Molecular Medicine

Course Description

There is a separate entry on admission to the P.Grad.Dip. in Molecular Medicine.

This course aims to give participants an in-depth understanding of the emerging field of molecular medicine which draws together developments in molecular and cellular biology to describe disease processes at a functional level - that of molecular interactions.

The course aims to provide students with an understanding of the molecular basis of human disease and its implications for the practice of clinical medicine and research in the life sciences. The course will ensure that students from all disciplines have the skills necessary to conduct research and critically evaluate the scientific and medical literature.

The MSc in Molecular Medicine is available in a one-year, full-time and a two-year, part-time format. It consists of lectures on cellular biology and molecular genetics as they apply generally to normal cell and tissue function and more specifically to disease processes such as cancer, immune dysfunction, and diseases with an inherited component. The course content includes molecular signalling and therapeutics, molecular and population genetics, nanoscience, neurobiology and advanced diagnostics and therapeutics. There is a core, “Research Skills” module which encompasses bioinformatics and ethical-legal aspects of health science research, literature reviews, laboratory practicals in basic molecular and cellular techniques and journal clubs. Candidates will complete a laboratory project of three months (full-time) or six months (part-time) duration. Candidates must also complete the taught module, Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease I. This course provides the applicant with state-of-the-art information and critical analysis of: The human genome at a molecular level, the integration of molecular and cellular biology in relation to human diseases; the molecular basis of human genetic disease; the molecular interactions between microbiological pathogens and the human host; the technology currently employed in researching molecular medicine; the molecular basis of common human inflammatory diseases and malignancies; the utilisation of knowledge on the molecular basis of human disease in planning and design of novel diagnostics and therapeutics, using pharmacological agents or gene therapy; the ethical and legal aspects of molecular medicine as it impinges on clinical practice. You will also gain a working appreciation of molecular and cellular biology at the practical level and development of the ability to perform independent research with the ability to apply bioinformatic and computational techniques in medical and biological research, and information retrieval.

The student is examined on the basis of a submitted critical literature review essay, written examinations, assessment of laboratory practicals and the writing of a dissertation based on a research project.