BMD3023 : Precision Medicine, Genomics and Informatics (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Julie Irving
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Simon Bomken
- Lecturer: Dr Daniel Williamson, Dr Simon Cockell, Dr Amir Enshaei
- 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
The aims of this module are to;
1. To develop the students’ baseline knowledge of Precision Medicine
2. To present details of the range of techniques and biomarkers relevant to stratification in healthcare
3. To inform students of current approaches in precision medicine in both cancer and non-malignant diseases and the possible future path of precision medicine.
Outline Of Syllabus
Precision Medicine methodologies and approaches: -
- Cytogenetics/genomics, pharmacogenomics, translational therapeutics
- Toxicology, computational pathology
- wearable technologies and mobile applications
- next generation sequencing, disease models and gene editing
- Analysis of high dimensional datasets
- AI and Machine learning in Precision Medicine
Biomarkers and the assessment of their validity including data analysis
- Types of biomarkers and their uses
- Biomarker development pathway
- Implementing biomarkers in clinical practice
Precision Medicine in:-
- chronic non-communicable diseases
- rare diseases
- oncology
Translational therapeutics: -
- The development of small molecule inhibitors
- Inflammatory bowel disease therapeutics
Precision Medicine- the future
- Polygenic risk models
- Cell free DNA
- Multiomic/spatial analysis
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Dry lab (data analysis) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | seminar |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 177 | 1:00 | 177:00 | Writing up lecture notes, revision and general reading |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
This is an undergraduate module based on an area of research excellence within the University, with contributors from a large theme within the faculty (Precision Medicine, Genomics and Bioinformatics). The module is mostly based on lectures with open discussion of key concepts. The learning outcomes are predominantly knowledge based, with key skills in critical evaluation, knowledge and understanding assessed by both written and oral communication. The seminars provide the students with an opportunity to have a broad-based discussion of some of the major issues in medical science in the presence of their peers and the dry laboratory involves analyses of data sets to assess the validity of a precision medicine biomarker.
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 | Invigilated closed book exam. 2 essay questions from a choice of 4 |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | 40 | Single in person oral presentation part 1 to scientific audience (10 minute 30% and part 2 to a lay audience (2 minutes, 10%) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The invigilated exam essays provides evidence of key writing skills that allow knowledge and understanding of the topic to be demonstrated, along with the ability to integrate this within the context of published material. The assessed oral presentations test knowledge, critical analysis and the ability to package such materials into a logically coherent exposition. In addition, they assess the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to present information clearly and concisely and to present information to both lay and expert audiences with appropriate use of visual and technical aids.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BMD3023's Timetable