BMD3031 : Molecular Pathology (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Alessio Iannetti
- Lecturer: Dr Jack Leslie, Dr Andrew Knight
- 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
Deepen Understanding of Molecular Disease Mechanisms: To provide students with an in-depth understanding of the molecular pathways and mechanisms that drive disease development, focusing on cellular and molecular responses, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
Facilitate Application through Case Studies: To integrate theoretical knowledge with practical understanding through lectures and case study discussions on selected diseases, enabling students to connect molecular mechanisms to real-world clinical contexts.
Enhance Analytical and Research Skills: To develop skills in collating, interpreting, and critically analyzing scientific data. Students will learn to assess scientific literature rigorously and communicate their findings effectively.
Promote Academic and Professional Communication: To encourage and reward students’ ability to synthesize and present scientific insights in a structured, publishable format, fostering skills that are valuable for both academia and professional scientific roles.
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics covered by this module will include:
- Cellular responses to stress (recap)
- Acute and Chronic inflammation
- Molecular mechanisms of autoimmunity
- Molecular Pathology of selected diseases of the gastrointestinal and respiratory system and overview of other
body system diseases
- Extracellular matrix involvement in autoimmune diseases
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 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Journal club group presentation - in person. To develop critical analysis skills. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Case study seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 1:30 | 1:30 | Preparation of Literature review assessment. Critique of an AI generated literature review example. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Drop-in session before assessment submissions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 171:30 | 171:30 | |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will be used to provide new detailed information and illustrate the significance of normal and abnormal mechanisms using examples of common diseases (LO K1-3).
A case study approach will be used in seminars to enable students to discuss and gain a deeper understanding of the lecture material (LO K1-K3 and S1).
The students will work in small groups to prepare a short presentation to discuss a research paper. The presentation will be in a "journal club" format, where the focus is to critically analyse and interpret the data from the paper.
Questions will be asked by the seminar lead and all the students in attendance in a collective discussion.(LO, S1-S2)
To help students to familiarise themselves with the process of submission of a review article to a journal for publication, students will be asked to write a literature review (Part A) on an assigned topic. As part of this exercise, students will receive support in the form of a lecture providing an overview of the assessment and drop-in sessions in which they will receive feedback/suggestions and discuss their progresses. Furthermore, to support their understanding of the topic, relevant tools and reading material will be uploaded on Canvas. After submission of part A, students will receive feedback and will be asked to address this feedback by producing an open-letter addressed to a virtual editor where they outline their plan to address the feedback received (Part B). The exercise will support students’ understanding of the research publication process. (LO S1-S2)
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 60 | Literature review (word limit 1500) |
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 40 | Open Letter (750 words) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | Journal club group presentations (10 minutes) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students will emulate the peer-review process of publishing a research article, via preparation and submission of a literature review (Part A) of 1,500 words (60% of the course-mark) on a provided title, followed by a “Part B” consisting of an open letter of 750 words (40% of the course-mark) addressed to the Editor of the journal in which the students detail how they would plan to address the feedback points in order to have their work accepted for publications. This assessment will train students in writing literature in a style required for publication, gaining an understanding of the peer-review exercise necessary to publish scientific literature.
The journal club will constitute a formative feedback opportunity to develop critical analysis skills.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BMD3031's Timetable