Microbiology And Biochemistry

This unit introduces the study of microorganisms by considering their scope and diversity. A theoretical understanding of basic microbial cell structure and growth curves is covered and complemented by the practical component of the unit.
The subject of biochemistry will be studied in the context of the living cell. By completing the unit you will be able to understand general biochemical principles, the structures of a range of biomolecules and the relevance of biochemistry to the study of biological subjects.
Both microbiology and biochemistry are practical subjects therefore this unit is designed to enable you to develop practical competencies in the fundamental techniques used in them. These techniques include the use of the light microscopes, histological preparation, the development of good sterile techniques in the handling of micro-organisms, design of biochemical assays and chromatography for separation.
You will also develop awareness for the need of good laboratory practice (GLP).
Microbiology and Biochemistry are key disciplines that form the basis of many different science careers both within the NHS, and within academic research or biotechnology laboratories. This unit also underpins the subjects of immunology, biological chemistry, metabolism, biotechnology, pathophysiology and clinical biochemistry which will be studied at Level 5 and 6 of your course.

Human Anatomy And Physiology

This unit aims to provide a broad understanding of Human Anatomy, the study of the structure and relationship between body parts, and Physiology, the study of the function of body parts and the body as a whole. This Unit will focus on the link between form and function, and therefore their integrated relationship. It will provide the foundation required for further study in applied human physiology and related subjects in second year. The basic systems of the body and their interrelationships will be explored.

Human Anatomy and Physiology are fundamental disciplines relevant to medicine, life sciences and forensic science. Their study enables the identification and analysis of tissues and structural changes within them that allow for the diagnosis of disease.

Within the Human Anatomy and Physiology Unit you will learn about the relationship between structure and function, and integration and interdependence of all body systems.

Cell Biology

The unit provides an introduction to cell biology. You will cover the structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell types and make comparisons between them. You will learn practical aspects in the fundamentals of microscopy and how that informs our ideas of cell structure.

Aims of this unit are:

• To provide a basic outline of the  cell as the fundamental unit of life and how it impacts on all areas of biology.
• To introduce sub-cellular organisation, the variety of cell types and to relate cellular structure to function.
• Understand the basic ideas of cellular differentiation and specialisation from stem cells to terminally differentiated cells.
• To provide a basic understanding of cellular signalling and the immune system.

Molecular Genetics

This unit reviews and develops your knowledge and understanding of basic ideas and concepts in molecular genetics and so provides a foundation for many principles in the biosciences. The materials covered provide a foundation for the further study in a wide range of topic areas from biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, through to applications in forensic science.

The aims of the unit are:

to introduce the basics of molecular genetics;

to relate the processes of cell division with chromosome function and structure, and to develop an understanding of genetic inheritance;

to develop the ability to understand and interpret data in simple tables and graphs; and

to foster an awareness of safe laboratory practices and develop laboratory skills and effective group work behaviour.

Skills In Biochemistry

This unit will introduce you to the study of biochemistry at University level. It will develop a range of key study skills, with emphasis on the collection, analysis and presentation of data. This unit will also provide you with orientation to the available resources in the learning resources centre, and provide you with some basic information about career planning and organisation.  The unit also contains discipline-specific skills and knowledge relevant to becoming a competent biochemist, as well as transferable skills valuable to alternative areas of employment. Practical classes will provide an introduction to basic laboratory techniques and report writing including concepts of accuracy, precision and reproducibility in measurement.

The key aims of this module are:

To provide a working knowledge of a key range of biochemical techniques that underpin experimental work in biochemistry.

To encourage you to think critically about your subject and engender a philosophy of critical self-appraisal and reflection to facilitate your ability to build upon your own learning experiences.

To provide you with an appreciation of working with others in a higher education setting and empower you to become a confident, independent learner.

To develop your ability to receive and respond to a variety of sources of information: textural, numerical, verbal and graphical.

To learn how to access relevant scientific information from a variety of sources and communicate the principles in an appropriate manner in assessments.

To allow you to record data accurately and appropriately from laboratory experiments

To be able to analyse and report data from laboratory work and understand key concepts of accuracy, precision, reproducibility and uncertainty in scientific data.

Chemistry

This unit reviews and develops your knowledge and understanding of basic ideas and concepts in chemistry and provides a foundation for many of the principles in biosciences. The material covered will be useful for subsequent studies of biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, food and nutrition, forensic science, pharmaceutical science and pharmacology units.

The aims of the unit are:

to provide a fundamental understanding of chemistry;

• to develop skills in report writing and to develop the ability to handle data and presentation in simple tables and graphs; and
• to foster an awareness of safe laboratory practices and develop laboratory skills and effective group work behaviour.

Pharmacology

Pharmacology will develop your knowledge and understanding of the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of drug action and its role in alleviating human diseases. It emphases pharmacodynamics that evaluates drug action in the body at biochemical and physiological levels, and pharmacokinetics that examines how the body responds to drugs. Pharmacodynamics computer simulations will help you model drug actions. Pharmacology is an pivotal discipline due to its key role in the pharmaceutical industry

Skills In Science

Within the Skills in Science unit, you will develop and practice a number of key subject-specific skills essential to a career in science. These include the ability to select and apply appropriate statistical analysis; evaluate relevant research literature and identify areas currently lacking in our knowledge or application; the ability to propose both a hypothesis and a novel experiment to address this hypothesis (including statistical analysis where appropriate); and the understanding to identify and address any health and safety or ethical considerations related to your proposal. These skills underpin the scientific method required for any scientific career. The basic notion of data analysis, identifying an issue, and developing a plan to address that issue is the basis of troubleshooting or product development in any career structure. In addition, within this unit, you will be equipped with transferrable skills such as presentation and communication skills, as well as planning and preparing for a career within your discipline. The skills developed within this unit will prove vital for the Level 6 research project unit and for a career in science. 

Human Metabolism

Human Metabolism is a fundamental discipline in biochemical and pharmaceutical sciences.  Additionally, the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, who accredit the BSc Biomedical Science course, list the biochemistry of processes that support life including cellular metabolism and its control as a key area of curriculum. This unit provides a theoretical understanding of the biochemical and cellular basis of human metabolism and aims to:

Introduce the basic processes of human metabolism: how the main classes of biomolecules are degraded and synthesised. 

Extend biochemical concepts from level 4 regarding the structure of biomolecules (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) to their enzymatic inter-conversions and how these are used to produce energy, energy storage compounds, functional and structural proteins and signalling molecules. 

Explain how metabolic transformations inactivate and, sometimes, activate drug molecules. The pharmacological relevance and utility of metabolic poisons will also be considered.

Immunology

The human immune system is second only to the nervous system in terms of its complexity and importance. The unit will impart a detailed understanding of  the immune system and how it functions in protecting against a vast range of pathogens and against diseases that arise within the body such as cancer and autoimmunity. This unit will enable you to you appreciate the crucial roles of the immune system in health and disease.

The Institute of Biomedical Science who accredit the BSc Biomedical Science degree specify Immunology as key subject area required within all their accredited courses. Qualified Biomedical Scientists may be employed as immunologists within NHS laboratories, where they are required to analyse samples from patients for evidence of immune-mediated diseases or match tissues for transplantation.

By comprehending the specific roles of the different cellular and humoral arms of the immune system you will learn how these different elements of the immune system interact to produce an appropriate, correctly directed and effective immune response. You will also become aware of how this complex system can malfunction and the serious impact of inappropriate immune responses on human health.

You will also learn about how immune specificity can be harnessed to produce effective modern technologies to prevent, diagnose and treat disease.

Immunology is particularly relevant to you if you wish to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical, biomedical or biotechnology industries, or in hospital diagnostic, veterinary or biomedical research laboratories.

Biotechnology

This unit aims to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the main techniques that are in widespread use in the biotechnology industry.  On studying this unit you will be guided to understand the genetic processes that underpin biotechnological advances, to perform specialist gene expression experiments, and analyse, present and communicate data in a scientific manner.  

This unit will describe the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication, DNA transcription and RNA translation. It will describe how the biotechnology industry exploits these processes for human benefit to tackle the world’s current problems such as disease, pollution and food security. This unit is directly relevant to students studying Genetic Engineering in third year.

Life Science graduates who seek employment within academic or government research laboratories or within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries will also find that Biotechnology is a common and key discipline underlying the analysis and genetic manipulation of cells and tissues in many research contexts.

Protein Structure And Function

The study of protein function has, in recent years, become more dependent upon the details of protein structure. The structural picture adds greater depth to an understanding of the way proteins work. Structural hypotheses now underpin almost all drug discovery projects; structural modification is fundamental to the exploitation of proteins in biotechnology. This unit aims to enable you to understand how protein structure influences the function of such disparate systems such as enzymes, signal transduction pathways, transport systems, and motion. Further, it provides an understanding of the basis for rational drug design for the treatment of disease.
 
This unit is relevant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and to basic biochemical academic research. Successful completion of this unit will provide a scientific grounding to enable you to complete third year units in systems biology, biotechnological innovations and the final year biochemistry research project.

Biochemical Techniques

Biochemistry depends on the ability to characterise and measure the properties of biological molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Measurement techniques underpin biochemistry. Without measurement there can be little knowledge or understanding of biological function. Knowledge of biological function at the molecular level enables targeted drug design. Drugs inhibit the biological function of their targets and ultimately enable the treatment of disease.

This unit aims to:

1. Describe methods used to separate biological mixtures

2. Describe methods used to detect and quantify proteins

3. Describe biophysical and structural techniques that allow the measurement of the structures of proteins and their interactions with proteins, lipids and metals

4. Allow you to practice the biochemical techniques of SDS PAGE and protein chromatography and use the industry standard AKTA START protein purification system

This unit is relevant to the pharmaceutical industry and academic research. The methods and techniques you will use and learn here are routinely used by drug companies and university based research laboratories. Successful completion of this unit will provide a deeper understanding of the contents of the second year unit Protein Structure and Function and provide a training in techniques used again in the final year biochemistry research project.

Biological Chemistry

Chemistry is a fundamental scientific discipline describing atoms, molecules and ions and the ways in which these interact with one another to form compounds. This second year unit builds on the detail learned in first year Chemistry and aims to deliver areas of physical, organic and inorganic Chemistry of direct relevance to biochemical and metabolic reactions. You will gain a more detailed chemical understanding of the thermodynamic, kinetic and electronic principles that underpin biologically relevant chemical reactions and of metal binding sites in enzymes. This unit is relevant to two second year units: Metabolism and Protein Structure and Function.

Biochemistry Research Project

This unit is an essential part of your BSc (Hons) degree. It allows you as a final year student to undertake scientific research and provides an opportunity to develop and appraise your personal qualities for future employment. You will plan, design and execute a piece of research work for which you will write a formal report. You will also complete a written dissertation in which you will explore the broader topic area relevant to your research work in greater depth. This will develop your abilities to read, research and understand scientific literature. The project will be based on a research question relevant to your degree course and you will critically appraise evidence from relevant research to provide a literature-based context to your work. 

During the process of your project, you will develop reflective skills as applied to research as you write your Reflective Research Record. This will allow you to demonstrate and evidence your ability to collect and analyse data along with a range of practical, interpretive and analytical skills indicative of a Biochemistry graduate.

The key aims of this unit are:

To research, plan, design and execute experimental methodologies relevant to scientific research work on an individual basis within the context of a research programme.

To develop the techniques of critical analysis through critical evaluation and appraisal of published scientific findings and data.

To collect, record, collate and analyse data using appropriate techniques and to use relevant statistical techniques to investigate data.

To use appropriate IT resources to support a written project report, producing documents which demonstrate a range of skills of written expression and vocabulary relevant to your course.

To communicate your work effectively in meetings with your supervisor and evidence the skills associated with and developed during the project in your Reflective Research Record. 

To develop reflective skills as applied to research, based on maintaining a Reflective Research Record containing not only a record of your research work , but also an appropriate reflection on it, providing evidence supporting the portfolio of work submitted.

Systems Biology

Modern bioscience faces an increasing challenge in processing the massive amount of data produced by current high-throughput methods and large-scale genomics projects to render it meaningful. The ultimate goal is to correlate the data sets with the functional status of the cells, tissue or organism of interest. This is known as systems biology.

This unit aims to explore the ways in which large scale so-called ‘Omics’ (e.g. proteomics, genomics, metabolomics) technologies produce their data sets and also how ‘in-silico’ disciplines like bioinformatics and modelling make use of these data to generate new hypotheses. Once this theoretical foundation has been laid, the application of these techniques to problems in the pharmaceutical sector will be discussed.
 
The information delivered in this unit is directly relevant to current approaches in basic biochemical, biomedical, clinical and pharmaceutical research. 

Biotechnology Innovations

Modern biotechnology has been revolutionised by a number of key innovations that have massively increased the amount of biological data that can be produced. This is perhaps most vividly exemplified by the revolution in DNA sequencing that has progressed from the Human Genome Project through to the 100,000 Genome project. The Human Genome project took over 10 years and cost around $3 billion. Innovations in sequencing technology now mean a complete genome can be sequenced in days for less than $1000.

In this unit you will explore the ways in which large scale ‘Omics’ (proteomics, genomics, metabolomics etc.) produce their data and also how disciplines like bioinformatics and modelling make use of data to generate new hypotheses. Once this theoretical foundation has been laid, the application of these techniques to problems in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries will be discussed.

Genetic Engineering

DNA is the blueprint of life, the carrier of the genetic code that determines a cell make up and is also the target for genetic modification, and direct manipulation of an organism’s genome. Therefore, DNA structure and functions are fundamental to both molecular biology and genetic engineering. 

Molecular biology, the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity, overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Genetic engineering is the modification of the genetic make-up of an organism using techniques that remove heritable material or that introduce DNA prepared outside the organism either directly into the host or into a cell that is then fused or hybridised with the host. This involves using recombinant nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) techniques to form new combinations of heritable genetic material followed by the incorporation of that material.

Graduates who seek employment within academic, government research laboratories or within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry will find that Genetic Engineering is a common and key discipline underlying basic molecular biology and behaviour in many research contexts.

You will learn about the techniques involved in gene expression such as recombinant-DNA techniques using restriction digests, ligations and molecular cloning. You will also learn about gene and genome manipulation involving inserting or deleting genetic material either randomly within the host genome or using targeted techniques such as site-directed mutagenesis. Bioinformatics is integral to the fields of molecular biology, genomics and genetic engineering and it is important that you gain a thorough knowledge of recent and emerging developments in bioinformatics. Applications of genetic engineering used in fundamental research, industry, agriculture and in medicine will be described within a wide range of hosts including micro-organisms, plants, and animals.

Clinical Biochemistry

Clinical Biochemistry is a fundamental discipline in both medicine and biosciences. It is the investigation of the function and dysfunction of systems, organs and tissues by the measurement of biochemical markers. In addition, it evaluates and synthesizes knowledge of the integrative molecular, metabolic and genetic basis of certain diseases and the progression from health to disease. 

The Institute of Biomedical Science who accredit the BSc Biomedical Science degree specify clinical biochemistry as a Key Subject Area required within all their accredited courses. Qualified Biomedical Scientists may be employed as a clinical biochemist or healthcare scientist within NHS pathology/clinical biochemistry laboratories, where they are required to analyse patient body fluids to help with investigation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. They also interpret results and play a major role in managing hospital and community analytical services.

Biochemistry or Biomedical Science graduates who seek employment within academic or government research laboratories, or within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry will also find that clinical biochemistry is a common and key discipline requiring complex biochemical analyses on a range of specimens using automated and computer assisted molecular biological techniques.

Biology Of Disease

Biology of Disease covers an integrated approach to pathology that is a fundamental discipline in both medicine and biosciences. It investigates pathophysiological processes that underlie specific diseases and the clinical signs and symptoms that are interpreted by the pathologist. In addition, it evaluates and synthesizes knowledge of the integrative molecular, metabolic and genetic basis of certain diseases and the progression from health to disease. 

The Institute of Biomedical Science who accredit the BSc Biomedical Science degree specify Biology of Disease as a key subject area required within all their accredited courses. Qualified Biomedical Scientists may be employed within NHS pathology/clinical biochemistry laboratories, where they are required to analyse patient’s samples taken from blood, urine or other body fluids to help with investigation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. They also interpret results and play a major role in managing hospital and community analytical services.

BSc Biomedical Science graduates who seek employment within academic or government research laboratories, or within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry will also find that the Biology of Disease is a common and key discipline requiring understanding of biochemical analyses on specimens of body fluids and tissues and molecular biological techniques that allow the understanding of pathological processes.

Cellular Biology

Cell biology is at the forefront of research and biological, biochemical and medical sciences. This unit will examine the cellular processes that have driven the recent revolution in biotechnology and explore the ability to use molecular biology to diagnose and treat human genetic disorders in the current post-genomic era.

This unit is relevant to graduates who seek employment within academic or government research laboratories or within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. Cellular Biology is a common and key discipline underlying basic biology and behaviour in many research contexts.

Within Cellular Biology you will learn about cell organisation and review genetic abnormalities and their relationship to metabolic disorders and cancers. You will practice a technique to measure cellular proliferation and analyse the data.

Professional Practice Year (Life Sciences)

The aim of this unit is to provide the opportunity to undertake career-related experience which will allow you to understand and undertake responsibilities in the work place at an appropriate level and use the opportunity to assess your readiness to undertake a career in your chosen field.