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LSC-30028 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 19 January 2023

LSC-30028 - Advances in Medicine
Coordinator: Srabasti Chakravorty Tel: +44 1782 7 33685
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None



Description for 2022/23

This module investigates modern advances in medicine that impact current diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a range of diseases. We will highlight fast-emerging areas of research which are striving to improve diagnosis such as nanotechnology and new biochemical tests in the fields of heart disease, cancer and fertility investigations which will potentially improve patient care.
You will gain insight into the advancing field of personalised medicine, which allows optimisation of treatment based on an individual¿s genetic and clinical background. You will also explore the emerging cutting-edge use of non-coding RNA as a therapeutic tool.
Finally, you will be able to discuss new developments in the fields of tissue engineering, stem cell technologies, vaccinology and islet cell transplantation which have all seen significant advances in recent years.


Aims
This module will describe and promote the understanding of advances in medicine that have impacted on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care and control of relapse in a range of diseases including, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer and organ dysfunction.

Intended Learning Outcomes

review current strategies in tissue engineering and evaluate the importance and limitations of these technologies: 2
evaluate current research in the fast-moving field of nanotechnology and their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools of the future: 2
evaluate current research in the fast-moving field of non-coding RNA and evaluate their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools of the future: 1
review the current research in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and evaluate the benefits and limitations of their application: 1
evaluate the benefits and limitations of current research in the fast-growing field of personalized medicine and the development of new diagnostic tests, to optimise treatment for individual patients: 3
review the current research in fast-moving field of vaccinology and evaluate their importance and limitations as therapeutic tools: 3
communicate information and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences: 1,2,3
manage their own learning and make use of primary sources: 1,2,3
evaluate and compare current developments in stem cell research in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and neurodegenerative diseases and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages associated with this technology: 1,2,3

Study hours

12x 1 hour tutorials/workshops/seminars
8x 4 hours engagement with asynchronous content
40 hours completion of assignments
66 hours independent study



School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 30%
Research Portfolio (Part 1)
Part 1 of of the portfolio will relate to topics covered over weeks 1 to 4. The assignment will be based on ONE research article relating to ONE of these topics. The assignment should be no more than 750 words. The assignment will be ONE of the following: a) a assignment will be a newspaper article designed to test the student¿s ability to concisely summarise complex scientific findings to a lay audience. OR b) an analytical evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critique the methodological approach, choice of statistical analysis and results presentation. OR c) an impact evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critically discuss the potential impact of a paper, including highlighting the main findings in the wider literature and proposing new avenues of research.

2: Portfolio weighted 35%
Research Portfolio (Part 2)
Part 2 of of the portfolio will relate to topics covered over weeks 5 to 7. The assignment will be based on ONE research article relating to ONE of these topics. The assignment should be no more than 750 words. The assignment will be ONE of the following: a) a assignment will be a newspaper article designed to test the student¿s ability to concisely summarise complex scientific findings to a lay audience. OR b) an analytical evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critique the methodological approach, choice of statistical analysis and results presentation. OR c) an impact evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critically discuss the potential impact of a paper, including highlighting the main findings in the wider literature and proposing new avenues of research.

3: Portfolio weighted 35%
Research Portfolio (Part 3)
Part 3 of of the portfolio will relate to topics covered over weeks 8 to 10. The assignment will be based on ONE research article relating to ONE of these topics. The assignment should be no more than 750 words. The assignment will be ONE of the following: a) a assignment will be a newspaper article designed to test the student¿s ability to concisely summarise complex scientific findings to a lay audience. OR b) an analytical evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critique the methodological approach, choice of statistical analysis and results presentation. OR c) an impact evaluation designed to test the student¿s ability to critically discuss the potential impact of a paper, including highlighting the main findings in the wider literature and proposing new avenues of research.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 19 January 2023