PHA-30031 - Translational Regenerative Medicine
Coordinator: Karina Wright
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

Regenerative Medicine is a game-changing field of study which seeks to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to disease, injury, congenital defects or ageing. Cell therapies can harness and enhance the capacity of the body to repair and regenerate. These approaches include cellular/tissue replacement strategies as well as indirect mechanisms to enhance intrinsic repair and/or ameliorate injury or disease associated dysfunction. A plethora of cell therapies are already in the clinic, encompassing a wide range of delivery approaches and targets. Ethical constraints, regulatory frameworks, manufacturing and business strategies are essential considerations for the translation and commercialisation of regenerative medicine strategies. The study of applied regenerative medicine will be of particular interest to you if you are considering work in biomedical science, tissue engineering and in particular, advanced therapy development, manufacture and delivery to the clinic. The interdisciplinary skills that you will develop would also prove useful for postgraduate study and a broad range of employers including health service providers or regulators, academia and the pharmaceutical industry.

Aims
The aim of this module is to evaluate cell therapy strategies. This will require an understanding of mechanisms of action, allogeneic/autologous approaches, good manufacturing practice, ethical/regulatory frameworks and the role of patient involvement and engagement.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Evaluate autologous and allogeneic cell therapy approaches with reference to immunological considerations and
mechanisms of action: 1
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of good manufacturing practice and the UK advanced therapy medicinal product regulatory framework: 1
Critically discuss the ethical challenges, surrounding the derivation and use of cell therapies: 1
Reflect on their own personal feelings regarding the use of cell based therapies and the wishes of patients using clinical data sets: 2
Evaluate the role of patient involvement and engagement in the clinical translation of regenerative medicine: 2

Study hours

1x 1-hour introductory lecture
2x 1-hour guest lectures
10x 1-hour case-based learning tutorials
2-hours drop-in support sessions for assessment
72-hours independent study to support case-based learning
63-hours working on assessments

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Reflective Analysis weighted 30%
Reflective account of patient involvement and engagement
Students will be presented with, and asked to complete, a patient questionnaire based on regenerative medicine approaches for the treatment of spinal cord injury. They will then receive real clinical data and be asked to reflect on why patients might have answered differently to their own expected responses. This work should be no more than 1000 words.

2: Report weighted 70%
Concise evaluative report (2000 words in total)
Students will be presented with a specific disease/injury case and asked to formulate an allogeneic and autologous regenerative medicine approach to treatment. In the report, students must include reference to both the regulatory framework and ethical challenges for their chosen case study.