BMD3028 : Translational Bioscience Research: From Bench to Bedside to Improve Human Health (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Luke Gaughan
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Christoph Oing
- Lecturer: Professor Craig Robson, Dr Adriana Buskin, Dr Pasquale Rescigno, Dr Emma Scott, Dr Kelly Coffey
- 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:
Develop students’ understanding of pre-clinical and clinical research undertaken to expedite more effective treatments of disease.
Increase students’ knowledge of translational laboratory techniques and how they are applied using real-world examples.
Enhance students’ ability to design experiments and interpret scientific data.
Develop students’ scientific and lay writing skills.
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics covered by this module include:
Translational research, in both laboratory and clinical settings, including target identification and validation studies through to drug development and clinical applications.
Drug development, drug screening, novel drug library technologies, and alternative therapeutics.
Phase I-III clinical trials and their ethical considerations.
Clinically-relevant data interpretation and experimental approaches.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 18 | 1:00 | 18:00 | |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Various skills activities including technical exercises, bioinformatics and virtual lab classes |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 4 | 0:30 | 2:00 | Discussion-based seminar sessions |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Data analysis and end of term revision |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 172 | 1:00 | 172:00 | 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
Lectures a formal taught session to the whole cohort which consists largely of the exposition of theory, themes, methodologies and techniques aligned to the learning outcomes of the module . These will form the basis of a student’s understanding of target identification and validation as well as downstream drug development and clinical application.
Workshops will provide skills training in data analysis and will provide in-course assessment guidance. Workshops foster active learning, collaboration, and critical thinking and will allow students to improve data analysis and communication skills
Seminars / Small group teaching will encourage contextualisation of taught material through discussion, Q&As, data interpretation and problem-solving on topics aligned to the pipeline of target identification through to development of therapies and application in humans. Small group teaching will also provide support for students in their preparation for the final assessment .
Independent study will allow students to extend their knowledge and prepare for assessments through consolidation of module content, reading of books, journal articles and other recommended references.
In-course assessment (case study) spread throughout the module will teach students time management and organisation and encourage independent working as well as supporting their understanding of the subject
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 written exam to answer 1 out of 2 essay questions and 6 short answer questions. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 1 | M | 40 | Case report (30%) (1500 words) with a lay summary (10%) (250 words) of findings. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The main examination will be similar to a paper interpretation exercise in which a redacted paper will be provided to the students to read and answer a combination of short and long answer questions which will test their knowledge of experimental procedures and data interpretation skills. They will also be required to compose the scientific abstract of the paper.
The in course assessment will test the students’ ability to interrogate key bioinformatics pipelines to extract and evaluate the involvement of targets in a disease indication and justify why they should/should not be taken forward into future drug development cascades. A case report will be written that includes data they have extracted and a justification for their choice/s of future therapeutic target. Composing a lay person summary of findings will be required as part of the case report.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BMD3028's Timetable