- UCAS course code
- C100
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Biology
Duration: 3 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: C100 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Field trips
Accredited course
- 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
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 |