BIC3001 : Applied Biochemistry for Drug Discovery (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Wyatt Yue
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Christina Elliott
- Lecturer: Professor Martin Noble
- Owning School: Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Scien
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
1) Introduce real-world roles and applications of biochemistry in the maintenance of good health and in combatting disease, through development of new drugs.
2) Develop an understanding of genetic and protein engineering in improving cellular processes, aimed at understanding how to target diseases.
3) Introduce to students how biochemistry can be applied to solve real world problems such as structural based drug design and computational drug discovery of disease targets.
4) Provide experience, guidance and support for those considering a career in the greater biotechnology / drug development sector.
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics covered by this module include:
1) Health, diagnosis, and biotechnological applications
2) Biochemistry can be applied in the production of biopharmaceuticals ("biologics").
3) The role of biochemistry in nutraceuticals, dietary supplements in improved well-being or the prevention of chronic and rare diseases
4) Look at how the unmet need for new therapeutics is being addressed though novel approaches in target-based drug discovery
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Mixture of didactic and flip classroom sessions |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Various skills activities including technical exercises, maths problems and virtual lab classes |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Oral presentations |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | Generic skills practice/ assessment prep (in person) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Biomonopoly ‘game’ - in person |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Computer Practical (Molecular Graphics) - in person |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 1 | 8:00 | 8:00 | In person - External Online Visit/Tour – e.g. FujiFilm Diosynth manufacturing plant |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 157 | 1:00 | 157:00 | Includes: Assessment preparation and completion, Directed research and reading, Skills practice, Reflective learning activity and Student-led group activity |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
1. Lectures and lecture materials are used to present the core syllabus. The students will be introduced to general concepts and areas of particular importance, so that they can relate the classroom teaching to self-directed study.
2. One workshop will be led by staff from the Careers Service, who is best placed to help the students identify and appraise career opportunities in the biotechnology sector.
3. An interactive molecular graphics-based workshop will provide the students with an opportunity to visualise the output of a typical drug discovery / SAR programme using crystallography.
4. The trip to an industrial lab will provide the students with a unique opportunity during their course to experience a national manufacturing facility of direct relevance to this module.
5. Skills practice sessions are generic, used to support development of core analytical and numerical skills across the curriculum.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 60 | 2 hour invigilated exam paper interpretation (max 8 questions) (30%) and 1 essay from 2 (30%) |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | 40 | Graphical abstract and an oral presentation of abstract (maximum 10 minutes). |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research paper | 1 | M | Computer practical (Molecular Graphics). In person |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The major form of assessment is the formal summer invigilated exam (60% of the total module mark), which tests
students’ knowledge and understanding, and their ability to think critically and to write persuasively and coherently.
The in-course assessment will be a composite element comprising a Paper Interpretation Exercise (PIE, 25%), and a one slide oral presentation of a graphical abstract (5%), both relating to the same piece of primary literature relevant to the course content.
These two exercises will develop and assess three important skills, namely the ability to pull key information and comprehension from primary literature, the ability to condense the principal findings of a paper into a readily digested representation, and the ability to make an oral presentation based on a graphically rich slide. The two elements are deliberately coordinated so that the preparation of the graphical abstract can be of value to the student in preparing for the PIE.
The formative assessment will provide the students with an opportunity to test their understanding of protein: ligand.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BIC3001's Timetable