- UCAS course code
- C550
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Immunology
Duration: 3 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: C550 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
- Typical A-level offer: AAA-AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB-ABC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB-ABC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36-35 points overall with 6, 6, 6 to 6, 6, 5 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Course unit details:
Biochemical Basis of Disease
| Unit code | BIOL31332 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 10 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Major diseases of man such as diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, and fibrosis, are increasingly significant contributors to morbidity and mortality in the western world. Developing treatments for these diseases is a major challenge to the pharmaceutical industry and there is great interest in the biochemistry underlying their pathogenesis.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cell Metabolism & Metabolic Control | BIOL21132 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
Aims
This unit aims to describe the biochemistry of these common diseases and highlight how our current understanding of disease mechanisms informs the development of novel therapies.
Learning outcomes
Students should have an understanding of the biochemical basis of a number of major diseases of man and appreciate how and why specific disease mechanisms are being targeted in the development of new treatments.
Syllabus
A significant proportion of this course will be delivered in the form of directed reading supported by lectures and will focus on biochemical aspects of disease mechanisms and potential therapies relating to:
Diabetes and Obesity: metabolic syndrome, beta cells and insulin secretion, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, secondary complications of diabetes.
Vascular disease: Atherosclerosis, dyslipidaemia and aberrant angiogenesis.
Fibrotic disease: ECM biology in tissue homeostasis, remodelling, repair and fibrosis.
Aberrant TGF-beta signalling: Lung fibrosis and Marfan Syndrome.
Protein folding/misfolding diseases: amyloid diseases, prion disease and therapeutic strategies. Chronic inflammation, protein misfolding and treatments for COPD.
Employability skills
- Research
- Students encouraged to read around the lecture material including recommended primary literature and review papers.
- Written communication
- Students have the opportunity to submit and receive feedback on an exam style essay outline which is based on relevant questions from past papers.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written exam | 70% |
| Oral assessment/presentation | 30% |
Feedback methods
Group feedback will be given for the assessment and an online discussion forum on Blackboard or Padlet will be available to facilitate communication amongst students and teaching staff.
The focus will be to provide a review of the previous year’s exam paper and guidance on exam preparation. An exam preparation workshop will run mid-way through the unit to cover the first half of the lecture content. A second exam preparation workshop will run at the end of a unit to cover the second half of the unit content.
Recommended reading
Review papers and some primary literature will be provided on Blackboard to compliment the lecture topics.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 82 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Susan Taylor | Unit coordinator |