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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Deanery of Biomedical Sciences : Biomedical Sciences

Undergraduate Course: Molecular Pathology: Molecular Stratification for Precision Medicine (BIME10061)

Course Outline
SchoolDeanery of Biomedical Sciences CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course provides an introduction to the study and diagnosis of disease, with particular focus on molecular pathology. The subject themes address a range of topics in cancer pathology, cardiovascular pathology, renal and liver pathology, and neuropathology of relevance to molecular stratification for precision medicine.
Course description The course will be subdivided into 4 themes, each of which will be delivered as a combination of lectures, practical sessions and tutorials.

1. Molecular Cancer Pathology (50%)
a. The molecular pathology of neoplasia
b. Colorectal cancer molecular pathology
c. Lynch syndrome
d. Cervical cancer molecular pathology
e. Ovarian cancer molecular pathology
f. Lung cancer molecular pathology
g. Breast cancer molecular pathology
h. Cancer predisposition syndromes
i. The molecular pathology laboratory
j. Bioinformatics & sequence data analysis

2. Molecular Cardiovascular Pathology (15%)
a. An introduction to cardiovascular pathology
b. Aortic aneurysms
c. Cardiomyopathy

3. Molecular Pathology of Renal & Inflammatory Liver Disease (15%)
a. The processes of inflammation
b. Mechanisms of Glomerulonephritis
c. Mechanisms of Hepatitis

4. Molecular Neuropathology (20%)
a. Introduction to neuropathology
b. Small vessel CNS disease
c. Motor neurone Disease
d. Tumours of the Nervous System

Each of these topics represents an area where molecular pathology is key to both our understanding of disease processes and clinical medicine. The identification of molecular changes in particular diagnostic and clinical contexts is crucial for patient management and an understanding of the use of this information in patient stratification for therapy, for example in oncology, is increasingly important. This course will provide students with an oversight of the principles involved in this growing area, and some practical experience of how molecular pathology is having an impact on clinical practice.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Apply the understanding of anatomy, molecular biology and genetics to disease processes
  2. Apply the understanding of pathological and immunological processes to the clinical manifestation of disease
  3. Apply the understanding of pathology to tissue-based research
  4. Critically appraise relevant information from the literature
  5. Make effective use of computers both to analyse pathological processes and to present pathological data
Learning Resources
Pathology textbooks e.g. Muirs textbook of pathology
Review articles
Original relevant journal articles
Online resources e.g. scanned slide images for tutorial and practical work, and
1. Pathologia (online pathology resource hosted by University of Edinburgh)
2. Webpath (online image repository hosted by University of Utah)
3. PubMed seminar reading lists (2-3 papers), critical evaluation exercises (3-4 papers)
Tutorial workbooks
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Critical analysis of scientific literature.
Use of computer-based image viewing platforms
Team work through group exercises
Time management
KeywordsPathology,molecular biology,stratified medicine
Contacts
Course organiserProf Simon Herrington
Tel: (0131 6)51 8524
Email: simon.herrington@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Kimberley Bruce
Tel: (0131 6)50 3717
Email: kimberley.bruce@ed.ac.uk
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