Undergraduate Course: Development and Disease (BIME10027)

Course Outline
School	Deanery of Biomedical Sciences	College	College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	Students on this course will learn about the ways that organisms develop from early embryos into mature adults and how this can go wrong, causing developmental disease. Detailed content of this course will vary from year to year. Students will learn how to critically evaluate and present research papers to their peers. Specific topics will be chosen that cover recent research described in the primary scientific literature. Examples of potential topics include: cancer (e.g. medulloblastoma, colon cancer), premature ovarian failure, neurodevelopmental disorders, heparanopathies and aniridia. Introductory lectures will explain the background to each topic and give students the information they need to understand the research papers. Typically, students would then read 2-3 papers related to the topic, which would be discussed in a seminar format, likely involving student presentations. Students will be expected to read around the topics, reading original research papers and reviews. Emphasis will be placed on understanding themes that underpin and link the various topics. These may include the advantages and disadvantages of various experimental approaches, the strengths and weaknesses of different animal models, and how specific types of effectors (e.g. signalling molecules and transcription factors) underlie multiple developmental mechanisms and disease states.
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: 0
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	In course assessment: students will present a poster outlining a research plan based on a research paper discussed during the course. (20%) Exam (80%). Two essay-type questions, one requiring students to demonstrate understanding of important themes underlying the papers discussed and one requiring them to propose an experimental approach to a specific question.
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
Students will learn and understand details of current research into developmental mechanisms and how disruption of such mechanisms can lead to developmental disorders. Students will learn to critically evaluate primary scientific literature and how to formulate specific hypotheses and test them experimentally.