Undergraduate Course: Animal Models of Human Diseases (MSBM10016)
Course Outline
| School | School 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 | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The course will consider how experimental models can contribute to curing human diseases. We will discuss how different experimental models ranging from unicellular organisms to invertebrates and vertebrates animals have contributed to our growing understanding of the molecular basis of human diseases such as diseases of the nervous system, cancer and diabetes. Applications of these models for addressing mechanistic questions and testing potential therapeutic options will be presented. |
| Course description |
The course will cover with a few introductory lectures the importance of generating an animal model of a human disease. Particular emphasis will be given to selected model systems (yeast, Drosophila, cell cultures and mouse) and to their contribution to the study of human diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. The importance of these models for designing and screening of compounds with a potential therapeutic effect will also be presented. Finally we will discuss the advantages and the pitfalls of every system and how a "multiple system approach" is increasingly becoming the approach of choice to gain a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism underlying these diseases.
At the end of the course a guest lecturer will be invited to give a lecture on the role of Drosophila in the study of human cancer. The lecture will be followed by a session of "burning questions" by the students
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
how different experimental systems can be used to model key aspects of a human disease
how these models can help defining the molecular pathways implicated in the pathogenic mechanisms of selected human diseases
the criteria defining when an identified molecular pathway can become a potential therapeutic target
the role of these animal models in the complex process of developing effective therapeutics for human diseases
Demonstrate an ability to:
Discuss the contribution of animal models to the curing of human diseases
Integrate the information gained form different models to identify the pathogenic mechanisms of a particular disease and the existence of commonalities among different diseases
Critically evaluate the advantages and the limitations of these experimental models
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | MEDSCIAnimal |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Philip Larkman
Tel: (0131 6)50 3517
Email: P.Larkman@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Lisa Ketchion
Tel: (0131 6)51 1629
Email: Lisa.Ketchion@ed.ac.uk |
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