INTERCALATED BSc DEGREES
INTERCALATED BSc DEGREES
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
This booklet is an introduction to the Intercalated BSc degree at UCL. Its purpose is to provide students with:
• The information required to select a programme(s)
• The contact details of those they may wish to consult about individual programmes
• Details of how to apply and the selection criteria
• Possible sources of funding to support their studies
The first section of the booklet provides general information about the Intercalated BSc degree. This is followed by a description of the individual degree programmes with details of course units that may be selected.
Intercalating students either join the final year of a three year BSc degree programme or pursue a programme which is provided exclusively for them. Each intercalated degree has a maximum number of students that can be accommodated on the programme. In many cases this is limited by the availability of suitable projects and/or supervisors. The number of applications may therefore well exceed the number of students that can be accommodated on a programme. In view of this you are advised to select a first and a second choice of degree programme.
Why pursue an Intercalated BSc?
It has been the policy of the Medical School at UCL for many years to encourage all medical students to do this degree if they fulfilled two basic criteria:
• they were interested in the subject material of the course and
• they had successfully completed the first two years of a medical degree programme at UCL or another medical school.
Traditionally at the Royal Free and University College Medical School (RF&UCMS) about 70% of medical students who did not already hold a bachelors degree opted to follow an Intercalated BSc degree. A few graduate entrants into Medicine took a second bachelors degree (in a different subject) on the Intercalated programme and a few intercalated an MSc if they had an appropriate first degree.
It is now the expectation that all non-graduate students on the new integrated medical degree programme at RF&UCMS will intercalate a BSc degree either between years 2 and 3, between years 3 and 4 or between years 4 and 5.
During the intercalated BSc, students have the opportunity to study topics in greater depth than during their medical studies. It also affords them the opportunity to become familiar with research literature, scientific methods and techniques and the current state of thinking in their selected area. An experimental project may form a significant part of a programme, in some cases extending for one or more days a week throughout the year, in other cases concentrated over a period of six or more weeks. This is a very valuable experience and will determine your aptitude and enthusiasm for future research in your clinical career.
Whether the BSc incorporates an experimental project or not, we believe students obtain considerable benefit from the intellectual experience of pursuing knowledge for its own sake, learning very valuable transferable skills not least in critical thinking and evaluation of evidence.
The most important reason for doing a particular Intercalated BSc is that you have an interest in the subject. There is a belief among some medical students, which is shared by some staff, that having a good honours BSc is a career advantage. There is certainly no doubt that if your subsequent career involves clinical or basic research, then the BSc is a very good, if not essential, basis for future research work. It could be argued that taking any educational opportunity is going to enhance your subsequent career. However, from the point of view of clinical training and career options, it is relatively unimportant which particular programme you choose. The training given in approaching problems scientifically is a common feature of all of them. Do not be mislead into believing that one intercalated BSc programme has a higher profile or is more prestigious than another!
The structure of the Intercalated BSc degree
The intercalated degree programme is made up of course-units. Units have a value of 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 course-units. A 1.0 course-unit normally has about 50 hours of lectures and a total work load (including private reading, preparation of course work and revision) of 200 to 300 hours. Each 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 course-unit has its own assessment components which usually include an examination and course work. You may not take more than 4 course-units in a year. From September 2003 ALL intercalated BSc degrees will consist of 4 course units.
A degree programme is defined by its core course-units: those you must take. In many cases there is the possibility of taking some additional course-units. Your Departmental/Programme Tutor will provide details of optional course-units. In all cases your Departmental/Programme Tutor must approve your choice of optional course-units. In addition the department teaching the course must approve your taking it as there may be constraints imposed by prerequisites, the timetable or numbers.
The regulations covering an intercalated degree (which will formally have "with medical sciences" as part of the field of study) are similar in many respects to other course-unit degrees. The most important difference is that a minimum of 3 course-units must be passed to be awarded an intercalated BSc.
UCL provides a wide range of Intercalated BSc programmes and it is usual for RF & UCMS students to find a programme which appeals to them. However, a small number of students undertake an intercalated BSc elsewhere. In some cases this is to be closer to home, in order to minimise the costs of their studies, or because they are unable to find a suitable programme at UCL. Students who wish to intercalate at another institution must first obtain the approval of Dr Cross, the Sub-Dean and Faculty Tutor (Medical) in Life Sciences and thereafter keep her informed of the progress of their application.
The classification of your degree is determined by the institution at which you undertake your Intercalated BSc, either on the basis of your intercalating year alone or, in some cases incorporating a contribution derived from the results you obtained in the first two years (Phase I). The contribution may be as much as 25%. The title of your degree will depend on the combination of course units taken during the year.
It is usual for about 90% of Intercalated BSc students at UCL to obtain a first or upper second class honours degree.
Marking scheme and classification of degrees
Marks for Course-Unit degrees are on a standard scale: Marks of 70% and above are first class honours degree standard (A grade); marks in the range 60 to 69% are upper second class honours standard (B grade); marks in the range 50 to 59% are lower second class honours standard (C grade); 40 to 49% is third class honours standard (D grade). Marks between the pass mark (35%) and 39% are pass degree standard. Below 34% is a fail. Normally an absence from an examination, a mark of “incomplete” or a withdrawal from an examination will be counted as zero in computation of average marks unless the Board of Examiners agree that there are grounds for discounting it.
Degree classifications and marks are determined by the Board of Examiners for your degree programme. Each Board has at least one External Examiner who acts to ensure fairness and appropriate standards. Most Boards also have at least one Intercollegiate Examiner who is from another College of the University. The term "Visiting Examiner" includes both External and Intercollegiate Examiners.
Degree classifications are determined by the Board using an approved Scheme for the Award of Honours. Your Departmental/Programme Tutor will inform you of the scheme which applies for your degree programme.
Selection for an Intercalated BSc degree programme at UCL
The selection of students for the Intercalated BSc rests with the departmental BSc Admissions Tutor or Course Tutor for each particular degree programme. Most departments will interview applicants and in cases where the number of places is exceeded by the number of applicants, entry will be competitive and based upon merit. Departments will make recommendations for offers to the Faculty Tutor (Medical). Any indication given by Departmental/Programme Tutors may only be viewed as provisional and not binding.
Offers of places on Intercalated BSc programmes are formally made only by letter from the Faculty Tutor and are issued subject to quota. Other decisions (waiting list or reject) will also be made by the Faculty Tutor.
In the past we have encouraged applications for the Intercalated BSc degree from students outside UCL and indeed it has been possible to accommodate between 60 and 100 external students on our programmes. However, this year it may be necessary to restrict the numbers of external candidates accepted by UCL programmes to 40.
From 2003 entry onwards, UCL and Imperial College will consider an exchange of students enabling up to 20 students to transfer for their Intercalated BSc (Science) year from UCL to Imperial College and vice versa.
How to apply
ALL students are required to complete an application form which is available from:
Mrs Alena McCutchion
Life Sciences Faculty Office (UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Tel: 020 7679 5477
e-mail: a.mccutchion@ucl.ac.uk
DEADLINES FOR ALL APPLICATIONS (INTERNAL & EXTERNAL) IS
5th MARCH 2004
It is hoped that decisions will be made on these applications by the end of April (earlier for year 4 RF&UCMS students).
Applications received after these deadlines will ONLY be considered if places are still available.
All applicants are required to submit a personal statement. Applicants from within RF&UCMS are not required to submit a reference but must enclose a transcript of their Phase I marks and provide the name of a potential referee (usually an academic adviser). Applicants from outside UCL must submit a reference which should be returned, signed and sealed by the referee, in the envelope provided, together with the application form and a certificate of permission to undertake an Intercalated BSc at UCL. Applications will not be processed in the absence of this additional material. It is the responsibility of applicants to secure a reference and the permission of their medical school authorities. Students may only complete ONE application form. If you wish to be considered by more than one programme (maximum of two) you should indicate this on the form. RF&UCMS students are encouraged to nominate a first and second choice of Intercalated BSc degree programme, especially if it is their preference to intercalate in the coming session. Applications will then be considered sequentially according to your preference.
Sources of funding
The Intercalated BSc is now recognised for Mandatory Awards from Local Education Authorities but you should still check with your LEA.
UK/EU Intercalated BSc degree students are eligible for Student Loans.
It should be noted that all medical and dental students domiciled in England who started their degree programmes from September 1998 onwards will qualify for NHS Bursaries for the fifth and subsequent year of study (this includes the intercalated BSc year). This means that students intercalating a BSc will be eligible for an extra year of bursaries.
If you are a UK/EU student and are not eligible to have your fees paid by your LEA, the fee for the 2003/2004 session was £1,125 while for overseas students the fee was typically £12,650. The tuition fees for both categories of students will increase for the 2004/2005 session. The sum of money you will need for personal maintenance (accommodation, food, books etc) is estimated to be in the region of £6,000.
It is very important that ALL students who are having problems with their tuition fee payment should discuss these matters with Student Finance (Registrar's Division, room G19 in the South Wing of the main building). If the problem is ignored it will not go away and you may find yourself de-registered if you miss the payment deadline and have not been in touch.
Tuition fee refunds are not normally given but applications for partial refund of fees will be considered on an individual basis. It is your responsibility to request a refund from Student Finance.
The Department for Education and Employment has produced various booklets describing student support. Copies are available from Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and from the DfEE. (The free information telephone number is 0800 731 9133 and their website is ). These notes do not attempt to cover everything: only a few matters which may affect you. The rules are complex - always check with your LEA.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION APPLIES ONLY TO MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM RF&UCMS
It has been the practice that scholarships awarded by, or through, the RF&UCMS should usually go to internal students who commit themselves to undertaking their intercalated BSc at UCL.
Students at the RF&UCMS have in the recent past been recipients of awards generously provided to the Medical School by organisations and benefactors such as the Jean Shanks Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, the Arthritis Research Council, the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland, the PPP Medical Heathcare Trust, The British Pharmacological Society (BPS), the Physiological Society, the Goldberg-Schachmann Trust, The Worshipful Company of Barber Surgeons and the Heller Foundation. These organisations generally require that we approach candidates who are selected on the basis of academic merit and/or financial need. Students should not approach the organisations offering these scholarships directly.
Applications for the grants and scholarships available to RF&UCMS students are not normally required from individual students in advance. If advance application is necessary, you will be informed accordingly. The nominations for these grants and scholarships are announced by letter over the summer.
About 10 to 15% of RF&UCMS students doing the Intercalated BSc degree have in the past received some sort of financial support which ranged from a scholarship of £6,800 down to about £1000. In the coming session, the availability of scholarships is expected to decrease and it is probable that only 5% of students will benefit from this type of financial support.
Other Sources of Funding
Many of the national charities that used to support intercalating BSc students ceased to do so when the intercalated BSc programme became funded by the LEA in the same way as for any other year of the medical degree programme. However, there are still a limited number of national charities or companies that still provide financial support to some students. Lists of such charities are available in the Faculty Office, Drayton House, 30 Gordon Street. It is not necessary or advisable to apply for any of these before July 2004.
Acknowledgement of sponsorship
It is good practice to put an acknowledgement of any assistance or sponsorship you have received in such things as project reports. Such an acknowledgement may even be a condition of holding the award.
Access/Hardship Fund
The Government provides universities with Access Funds which are used to assist students who are suffering financial hardship. The fund is available to UK students only (both full-time and part-time).
You should receive a notice about the Access fund at the start of the session. Application forms are available from the Students' Union or from the Dean of Students Office (4 Taviton Street). Applications may be submitted at any point during the year but you must first discuss your application with the Faculty Tutor (Medical). It is very important that you complete the application form carefully (for example rent must be given as monthly and not weekly rent).
You must have applied for a student loan and for the "hardship loan" (if you started in 1998 or after) to be eligible for the Access Fund assistance. Special arrangements will be made to assist those whose loan cheque is delayed at the start of term. If this happens to you please speak to your Departmental/Programme Tutor.
INTERCALATED BSc TUTORS
ANATOMY & Professor F Spoor Anatomy Building, Tel: 020 7679 6154
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY e-mail: f.spoor@ucl.ac.uk
BIOCHEMISTRY AND Dr D J Williams Darwin Building, Tel: 020 7679 2197
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY e-mail: david.williams@ucl.ac.uk
HISTORY OF MEDICINE Dr A Hardy Wellcome Trust Centre for History of Medicine
Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street
Tel: 020 7679 8104
e-mail: a.hardy@ucl.ac.uk
HUMAN GENETICS/GENETICS Professor MS Povey Wolfson House, Stephenson Way
(Biology Department) Tel: 020 7679 7410
e-mail: s.povey@ucl.ac.uk
IMMUNOLOGY AND Professor D R Katz Immunology, Room 442, Windeyer Building
CELL PATHOLOGY Tel: 020 7679 9397
e-mail: d.katz@ucl.ac.uk
INFECTION Dr T J Harrison Department of Medicine
Tel: 020 7433 2881
e-mail: T.Harrison@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH Mr Chris Willott International Health & Medical Education
Centre, Archway Campus
Tel: 020 7288 5347
e-mail: ihmec@ucl.ac.uk
MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Professor Philip Burnham Anthropology Department, Darwin Building
Tel: 020 7679 2453
e-mail: p.burnham@ucl.ac.uk
MEDICAL HUMANITIES Dr D Kirklin Primary Care & Population sciences,
Archway Campus, 2nd Floor Holborn Union Building, 2-10 Highgate Hill
Tel: 020 7288 3467
e-mail: d.kirklin@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Or Ms H Mitchell Tel: 020 7288 3597
e-mail: heather.mitchell@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
MEDICAL PHYSICS Dr J Hebden Medical Physics & Bioengineering First Floor, Shropshire House, Capper Street
Tel: 020 7679 6416 or 6262
e-mail: jem@medphys.ucl.ac.uk
MOLECULAR MEDICINE Dr S K S Srai Biochemistry & Molecular Biology,
Tel: 020 7830 2453 or 020 7794 0500 ext 4942
e-mail: ksrai@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
NEUROSCIENCE Dr K-P Giese Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and
Dept of Anatomy & Developmental Biology
Cruciform Building Tel: 020 7679 6774
e-mail: p.giese@ucl.ac.uk
ORTHOPAEDIC SCIENCE Dr Helen Birch 01707 666 343
e-mail: hbirch@rvc.ac.uk
Dr Melanie Coathup Centre for Biomedical Engineering
(Institute of Orthopaedics) Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust
Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4LP
Tel: 020 8954 0268
e-mail: m.coathup@ucl.ac.uk
or Course Secretary Tel: 020 8909 5494
email: michele.cohen@ucl.ac.uk
PHARMACOLOGY Dr A Gibb Room G51, Tel: 020 7679 1398
e-mail: a.gibb@ucl.ac.uk
PHYSIOLOGY Dr K W T Caddy Room 142, Tel: 020 7679 3210
(Until Sept 04) e-mail: k.caddy@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Linda Harrison Room 227, Rockefeller Building
Tel: 020 7679 6093
e-mail: linda.harrison@ucl.ac.uk
PHYSIOLOGY AND Dr Jonathan Fry Room 139, Medical Sciences Building
PHARMACOLOGY Tel: 020 7679 3209
e-mail: j.fry@ucl.ac.uk
Or Physiology Teaching Office Room 137, Medical Sciences Building
Tel: 020 7679 3204
e-mail: M.Duckett@ucl.ac.uk
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE Dr Melvyn Jones Primary Care & Population Sciences
Tel: 020 7830 2239
e-mail: m.jones@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Dr Margaret Lloyd Primary Care & Populations Sciences
Tel: 020 7830 2239
PSYCHOLOGY Ms Maeve Ennis Psychology Department, Room 448,
1-19 Torrington Place, Tel: 020 7679 5949
e-mail: m.ennis@ucl.ac.uk
SPEECH SCIENCE & Dr Merle Mahon Human Communication Science
COMMUNICATION (subject to alteration) Tel: 020 7679 4245
e-mail: merle.mahon@ucl.ac.uk
TUMOUR BIOLOGY * Dr Janina Chowaniec Department of Surgery,
(Department of Surgery) 67-73 Riding House Street, Tel: 020 7679 9383
e-mail: j.chowaniec@ucl.ac.uk
* Due to unforeseen circumstances we regret that the complete programme in Tumour Biology will not be offered for the 2004/2005 session. We hope to be able to offer it as a full programme for 2005/2006. The department will however be offering a limited number of courses which it may be possible to take as part of other degree programmes.
ANATOMY & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
The Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology offers a wide range of course units for Intercalated BSc students. The research strengths of the department are in neuroscience, Developmental Biology and Hard Tissues (bones and teeth) and these areas are well represented in the courses; a half course unit in Advanced Anatomy is also available. Students registered for the Anatomy Intercalated Degree must take a total of 2½ or 3 units in taught courses and undertake an experimental research project. Projects involve spending either six weeks in the lab full-time, or the equivalent, (1 unit) or all available non-course work time over two terms (1½ units). Total course units taken must equal 4. The project is a special feature of the Anatomy BSc; because of the excellence of research within the department, students have the opportunity to undertake a research project with scientists with an international reputation in their field. Many of the projects lead to publishable results; some projects involve collaboration with clinicians.
ANATC03a: MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT
½ unit (Professor C STERN) Number limit: 50
Pre-requisites: BIOLB250 or ANATB008 or MBBS Years 1 & 2
BLOCK 1 - 4
MONDAYS 2:00 – 4:00
Assessment: 3 hour exam (100%)
This course will consider the cellular and molecular events which underlie animal development and cell differentiation, drawing on examples of a range of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. Topics to be covered include maternal, gap and pair-rule genes, imaginal disks and signalling pathways, gastrulation, hindbrain and PNS patterning, limb development and regeneration, neural induction and aspects of development in the human adult.The course aims to bring the students’ knowledge and understanding of developmental biology to the level of current research. The objective, to be achieved through lectures and reading of research papers, is to examine the mechanisms of development through a detailed study of the experimental evidence. For students with particular interests in developmental biology, the course AnatC03b provides practical experience of the four model systems described in the lectures. The course is designed to run concurrently with the lectures in C03a. See the C03b description for details:
NB: based on past years’ experience, it is strongly recommended that students take both C03a and C03b (which will give a full unit course). The practicals are an opportunity to see in real life the systems on which the lectures are based, and they therefore complement the lecture course particularly well. Furthermore it means one exam paper less to sit and the acquired knowledge is likely to strengthen your performance in the written paper.
ANAT C03b: MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT (PRACTICALS)
½ UNIT (PROFESSOR C STERN) NUMBER LIMIT: 24 (CORE COURSE FOR ANATOMY STUDENTS WHO WILL BE GIVEN PRIORITY)
Pre-requisites: ANATC03a
BLOCK 1 & 2
4 THURSDAYS 2:00 – 5:00
4 FRIDAYS 2:00 – 3:00
Assessment: 4 practical write-ups (successful completion of ANATC03a a co-requisite)
This course complements ANATC03a, and is comprised of 4 practicals. The practicals will be arranged around the four animal models studied (Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, chick). The course will allow students with a strong interest in developmental biology to become acquainted directly with the model systems involved, and develop practical skills useful for future careers in biomedical research.
NB: based on past years’ experience, it is strongly recommended that students take both C03a and C03b (which will give a full unit course). The practicals are an opportunity to see in real life the systems on which the lectures are based, and they therefore complement the lecture course particularly well. Furthermore it means one exam paper less to sit and the acquired knowledge is likely to strengthen your performance in the written paper.
ANATC037: EMBRYONIC & FETAL PATHOLOGY
½ unit (Professor C STERN & Dr R SCOTT) Number limit:30 (core course for Anatomy students who will be given priority)
Pre-requisites: BIOLB250 or MBBS Years 1 & 2
BLOCK 3
MONDAY 10:00 – 12:00
WEDNESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
The course brings together expertise in developmental biology, genetics, histopathology and perinatology, with the aim of relating recent advances in the molecular and cell biology of embryonic development to important problems in human malformation and congenital disease.
The course will be based on eight topics, which have been chosen to illustrate current understanding of mechanisms of development. Individual organ systems will be covered by paired embryology and pathology lectures, a juxtaposition designed to highlight outstanding problems as well as existing knowledge.
ANATC038: ADVANCED ANATOMY
½ unit (Prof F SPOOR) Number limit:20
Pre-requisites: ANATB020 or MBBS Yrs 1 & 2
BLOCK 3 - 4
THURSDAY & FRIDAY 2:00 – 5:00 (SELF DIRECTED PROJECT & DISSECTION WORK)
Assessment: Project report (30%), dissection viva (70%)
The aim of the course is to consolidate and deepen the students’ knowledge of human anatomy, and to provide and introduction to a more scientific approach to the study of morphology from a clinical, developmental, comparative and evolutionary perspective through a specialised dissection project and a review of the relevant literature.
ANATC018: NEURAL BASIS OF LEARNING & MOTIVATION
½ unit (Professor J O'KEEFE) Number limit:30
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
BLOCK 2
TUESDAY & THURSDAY 9:00 – 12:00
Assessment: 1 essay (25%), one 3 hour exam (75%)
The course is centred around the neural structures traditionally described as the limbic system: hypothalamus, amygdala, septum and hippocampus and their role in normal and pathological function. The first half of the course consists of a set of lectures on the anatomy, physiology and role in behaviour of these structures, and the second half is devoted to student-led debates on topics surrounding a group of psychiatric disorders and their relation to the limbic system.
ANATC025a: ADVANCED NEUROANATOMY
½ unit (Professor J PARNAVELAS) Number limit: 30
Pre-requisites: BIOLB021, ANATB009, or Medical Neuroanatomy
BLOCK 1
MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
This course is intended to provide a presentation of the structural organisation of the mammalian central nervous system together with some understanding of their functional and clinical significance. In the first part of the course, through a series of lectures and tutorials, the students are acquainted with the general organisation of the nervous system, its cytology, and some fundamental techniques. The second and larger part is devoted to the cytology, synaptic organisation, and chemical composition of individual areas of the nervous system. Selected areas, not covered in equivalent depth, include: the spinal cord, thalamus, cerebellum and motor systems, basal ganglia, retina, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, development of the nervous system, neurodegenerative disorders.
ANATC029/C029a: THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
½ unit (Professor S W DAVIES) Number limit:80
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience, or ANATC025a
BLOCK 3
FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00 & 1:00 – 3:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%) + 6000 word dissertation (full unit only)
This course will focus on the cellular and molecular biology of Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone disease, with the main emphasis on the mechanisms leading to cell death. A combination of lectures and video presentations will cover topics including: endogenous and exogenous excitotoxins, molecular genetics of HD, AD, ALS, developmentally-regulated cell death, growth factors in the development and maintenance of CNS neurones, cell biology of the neuronal response to injury, transplantation strategies for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
ANATC030: CELLULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
1 unit (Dr J CLARKE) Number limit: 50
Pre-requisites: MBBS neurobiology or BIOLB021 or BIOLB250 or ANATB008 or ANATB009
BLOCKS 1 - 4
TUESDAY 4:00 – 6:15
Assessment: 1 in-course essay (25%), of 2000 – 2500 words, one 3 hour exam (75%)
This course presents a survey of selected topics of current interest and importance in cellular and molecular aspects of developmental neurobiology. Numerous lecturers both from UCL and other institutions contribute to the course. Content varies and is updated from year to year but topics likely to be covered are: neural induction and patterning; generation of cell diversity; cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; neuronal growth factors; coursed cell death; growth cones; neurite outgrowth; neuronal migration; development of excitability; neuron-glia interactions; myelination; synaptogenesis; injury and repair in central and peripheral nervous systems. Along with lectures, the course contains small-group, student-led discussion/tutorial sessions.
ANATC031: CONTROL OF MOVEMENT
½ unit (Dr C YEO) Number limit: 20
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
BLOCK 4
WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
The course begins by considering the anatomy and physiology of essential components of the motor system; muscles and the motor unit; propioception; spinal integration; ascending and descending
pathways in the spinal cord; motor cortex; basal ganglia and cerebellum. The integrated action of these systems in locomotion, voluntary movements and eye movements is considered. The course concludes with analyses of motor learning and modelling of motor control.
ANATC033 or ANATC033a: THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
1 unit or ½ unit (Dr J LINCOLN/Dr C HOYLE)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 20 for full unit (C033); no limit for C033a
BLOCK 1
THURSDAY 11:00 – 13:00
FRIDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: ½ unit – One 3 hr exam (100%) plus in-course essay around 2000 words (completion mandatory); Full Unit – additionally, a library project of about 6000.
The course has been designed to provide an overview of the structure, organisation and physiology of peripheral nerves. Details of peripheral sensory mechanisms and the nervous control of visceral organs, the cardiovascular system and skeletal muscle will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the changes that occur during development and in disease. Lectures will be given by people active in research in this field and will aim to provide insight into current developments and their implications for clinical therapy. For the full unit a library project will also be undertaken. The course will consist of lectures and tutorials.
ANATC041: NEURAL COMPUTATION: MODELS OF BRAIN FUNCTION
½ unit (Dr N BURGESS) Number limit:30
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
BLOCK 3
TUESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
THURSDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: One course essay (2000 words) (10%), one 3 hour exam (90%)
The course considers how we can analyse an animal’s ability to learn, remember or act in terms of the action of neurons and synapses within the animal’s nervous system. Put another way, it considers the how the bahaviour of neurons and synapses conspires to enable the animal to perform useful behaviours. The course explains several examples od how specific parts of the central nervous system (e.g. hippocampus, colliculus, the posterior parietal, cerebellar and prefrontal cortices, spinal interneurons) contribute to the learning, memory or behaviour of an organism.
ANATC042: PAIN
½ unit (Professor S P HUNT) Number limit: 80
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 and PHOLB011; or BIOLB021 or MBBS Neuroscience
BLOCK 4
TUESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
FRIDAY 13:00 – 15:00
Assessment: One essay (20%), one 3 hour exam (80%)
This course aims to present an integrated approach to pain. Through a series of 18 lectures students will be presented with information about the basic mechanisms of pain and its clinical manifestations. Students will also be introduced to current ideas about therapy and management and to the problems inherent in measurements of pain. Seminars based on reading topics will be held during the course.
ANATC043: BIOLOGICAL TIMING
½ unit (Dr D WHITMORE) Number limit: 30
BLOCK 2
TUESDAY 14:00 – 16:00, WEDNESDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
The aim of this course is to examine the importance of time, and oscillations, in a range of biological problems. The central theme will be the circadian or daily clock. We will look at what is currently known about the clock mechanisms (what makes the clock 'tick') in a range of animal systems, from Drosophila to the mouse. This will include the genetic-molecular aspects of the clock, as well as some biochemistry and neurobiology. We will also examine how the clock regulates physiological events, such as seasonal reproduction, and human sleep-activity rhythms. The importance of light and the retina in setting the clock will be discussed (Prof Russell Foster, Imperial).
The course will then go on to examine a range of other biological timing events, such as the somite clock in embryology (Prof Julian Lewis, Cancer Research UK), rapid biochemical oscillations (Dr Swann), oscillations in the brain (Prof John O'Keefe) and some basic mathematical aspects of oscillations (Prof Lewis Wolpert). The relevance of time, from seconds to years, and how these oscillations influence cells and animals will be discussed.
ANATC044: NEUROBIOLOGY OF VISION
½ unit (Professor Andrew Stockman, Institute of Ophthalmology) Number limit: 30
Pre-requisites: ANAT B009 and PHOLB011; or BIOLB021 or MBBS Neuroscience
BLOCK 4
MONDAY 11:00 – 13:00, (Demonstrations 14:00 – 16:00), TUESDAY 14:00 – 16:00, THURSDAY 11:00 – 13:00
Assessment: Two essays (9% each), presentation (7%), 3 hour exam (75%)
This course is run by the Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology in collaboration with the Physiology and Psychology Departments and the Institute of Opthalmology. The course will treat the neurobiology of vision as an integrated subject. It will cover the physiology of cells in the retina and central visual pathways, and shows how the cells' properties underlie the spatio-temporal processing carried out by the visual system as revealed by psychophysical experiments.
ANATC101: ADVANCED CELL BIOLOGY
½ unit (Dr K SWANN) Number limit: 50
Pre-requisites: BIOLB100 Cellular and Molecular Biology or MBBS Years 1 & 2
BLOCK 1
MONDAY - FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: 3 hour exam (100%)
This course will introduce students to selected topics in current research in cell biology. There will be an emphasis upon looking at the dynamics of living cells. Topics covered will include phospholipid and calcium signaling, gene regulation, endocytosis and exocytosis, the cell cycle, mitochondria, proteolysis, and the role of cytoskeleton in cell motility. Some lectures will also be included to explain the use of bioinformatics and modern imaging techniques as applied to cell biology. Most of the course consists of a series of lectures where each lecturer will introduce an area and then discuss original research data. This course unit is self-containted but also provides a suitable background for C102 (Cell Dynamics and Function, 0.5 CU), which is run by the Physiology Department.
*************
THE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT EXPECT THERE TO BE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THIRD YEAR COURSES FOR THE SESSION 2004/2005 BUT THEY MAY BE SUBJECT TO MINOR ALTERATIONS.
BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers two degree programmes to intercalated Medical Students, leading to BSc degrees either in Biochemistry or in Molecular Biology. These degree programmes are made up by selection from the course units offered by the Department.
In addition, any of the course units offered by the Department may be taken together with those offered by other Departments (eg Genetics, Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology) in order to produce a 'tailored' BSc in Medical Sciences to meet your interests.
Medical students have a different background from the other final year students on the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degree programmes, with less experience in chemistry and laboratory work, but considerably more experience in other Life Sciences. The first 2 years of the MBBS programme courses are adequate background to appreciate and understand most of the final year courses offered by the Department. Where it may be helpful, we could offer additional tutorials in advance of lectures to cover background material. It is noteworthy that over the years intercalated Medical Students have consistently achieved results in the upper quarter of the final year class.
Course units in the Department, as in the rest of the Life Sciences Faculty, are organised in 6 week teaching blocks: block 1 covers the first 6 weeks of the autumn term; block 2 the second 6 weeks up to the Xmas vacation; block 3 covers the first 6 weeks of the Spring term and block 4 the 6 weeks up to the Easter vacation.
With the exception of the research project and the C015 courses described below, which may be taken at any time, any full course unit normally occupies a single teaching block. Half course units may either occupy the whole of a teaching block with a relatively light lecture load or may be concentrated in the first or second half of a block.
Course units appropriate to individual students will be chosen after discussion with the appropriate degree programme tutor.
Limited financial support may be available from Departmental scholarships in selected cases.
Three members of the Department will be especially pleased to discuss the course units and degree programmes with you:
Dr David Bender
Dr David Williams (course leader for the Biochemistry degree programme)
Dr Elizabeth Shephard (course leader for the Molecular Biology degree programme)
Research Project
This unit is compulsory for students taking the degree programmes in Biochemistry and in Molecular Biology. It consists of a 6 week attachment to one of the research groups in the Department, pursuing, under guidance, an original piece of biochemical research. A very wide variety of projects is offered and most students are allocated a project that closely matches their preferences.
The research project may be undertaken at any time during the academic year (by negotiation with the project supervisor) after the end of the first teaching block.
Course units offered by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
BIOCC022: PROTEIN STRUCTURE AND ENZYMOLOGY
1 unit (½ units - selected topics from the full 1 unit)
BLOCK 1
BIOCC025: MOLECULAR BASIS OF CELLULAR REGULATION
1 unit (½ units (selected topics from the full 1 unit)
BLOCK 1
BIOCC029: PROTEIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
½ unit
BLOCK 1
BIOCC033: REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLS AND TISSUES
½ unit
BLOCK 2
BIOCC034: CELLULAR REGULATION: membrane dynamics and compartmentation
½ unit
BLOCK 2
BIOCC024: ADVANCED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
1 unit
BLOCK 2
(compulsory for the Molecular Biology degree course)
BIOCC041: BIOCHEMISTRY OF HEALTH AND DISEASE
1 unit
BLOCK 3
It is possible to take a half course unit made up from either mainly metabolic or mainly molecular aspects of this unit.
BIOCC040: BIOINFORMATICS – Genes, Proteins & Computers
½ unit
BLOCK 3
BIOCC015: A library project assessed by an extended critical essay
½ unit
ALL YEAR
(This is a guided literature project on a topic of your choice)
Half course units commonly taken by Biochemistry and Molecular Biology students:
MIRCC308: MOLECULAR VIROLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 1
IMMNC306: IMMUNOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 2
BIOLC336: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
½ unit
BLOCK 4
HISTORY OF MEDICINE
The intercalated degree in the History of Medicine offers students the opportunity to investigate the wider background to current thinking and practice in medicine and the medical sciences. The courses consider the ways in which medicine in different periods in the east and the west has been part of a broader social and cultural canvas. Together they present a coherent picture of how medicine has changed over time and how these changes have helped determine the structure of medicine today. Students rapidly discover that they need to develop new interpretive and reading and writing skills to deal with historical material.
The research dissertation offers the opportunity to use these skills to explore a historical topic in depth. All the courses are taught by the staff of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, which is affiliated to the Department of Anatomy and is located at Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street. The splendid library at the Wellcome Trust offers unrivalled facilities for study in the subject. Although the courses overall combine to provide a comprehensive picture, any of them may be taken as a self-contained half-unit. Courses taught comprise the following:
HMEDC020: MEDICINE, DISEASE AND SOCIETY FROM ANTIQUITY TO RENAISSANCE
½ unit (core course)
BLOCKS 1 & 2, Term 1
TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS 11:00 – 12:00
21 sessions that consider such topics as the development of Greek medical ideas; the status of thedoctor in Greek and Roman society; the role of experiment and observation in earlier medicine; doctor-patient relationships; the impact of diseases such as plague (Black Death) on medieval and early Renaissance society; art and anatomy; Vesalius, Harvey.
HMEDC122: THE RISE OF MODERN MEDICINE 1650-1900
½ unit (core course)
ALL YEAR
MONDAYS 11:00 – 12:00
20 sessions centred on clinical medicine, the basic medical sciences, ideas about the body and pathological theory from the late 17th century to the early 20th century. The course examines how recognisably modern medical ideas and practices were created within the social context of the industrial revolution.
HMEDC111: MEDICINE AND MODERN SOCIETY
½ unit (core course)
ALL YEAR
FRIDAYS 12:00 – 13:00
20 sessions concerned with medicine from the mid-19th century to the present, looking at the development of the medical profession, hospitals, women in medicine, specialization, and the National Health Service in their institutional, political and social settings.
HMEDB012: MAN'S PLACE IN NATURE: The Debate in Britain
½ unit (option)
BLOCKS 3 & 4, TERM 2
MONDAYS & FRIDAYS 13:00 – 14:00
20 sessions concerned with the biological and human sciences from around 1700 to 1900, providing an introduction to the relationships between science and society. Particular attention is paid to the idea of evolution, to Charles Darwin’s work and the rise of the eugenics movement.
HMEDC021: MADNESS AND SOCIETY
½ unit (option)
ALL YEAR
TUESDAYS 13:00 – 14:00
20 sessions. This course examines the ways in which deviant behaviour has been identified and controlled from the ancient world to the present. Topics include the witch hunts in Western Europe, the rise of the asylum, the growth of the psychiatric profession and the tensions between organic, analytical and sociological explanations of insanity.
HMEDC116: COLONIAL AND EMPIRE MEDICINE
½ unit (option)
ALL YEAR
THURSDAYS 11:00 – 12:00
21 sessions dealing with Western medicine in non-European countries; colonization and the health of native societies. Topics include settlers and alien environments; Western illnesses and indigenous populations; medicine and Imperial expansion; public health and tropical medicine in the colonies; missionary medicine; the interaction between Western and non-Western medical systems; Western medicine in the Third World today.
HMEDC123: MEDICINE IN ASIA
½ unit (option)
BLOCKS 1 & 2, TERM 1
MONDAYS 12:00 – 14:00
20 sessions on the Chinese medical traditions with a secondary focus on the history and culture of Indian medicine. The course explores the elements of theory and practice, such as perceptions of the body, pulse-taking etc, and pays special attention to the social and cultural context within which new ideas and techniques developed.
HMEDC118: DISEASE IN HISTORY
½ UNIT (OPTION)
ALL YEAR
THURSDAYS 12:00 – 13:00
21 sessions. This course takes specific diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox and malaria, and examines their social and medical impact during the past couple of centuries. It examines the interplay of scientific, clinical,social and moral judgments invested un ‘framing’ disease.
HMEDC006: RESEARCH DISSERTATION
(1 unit)
Under the supervision of members of staff each student is expected to develop his or her own special area of expertise on a historical topic of individual interest, which is presented in the form of a dissertation. The research projects are examined orally in June.
If you wish further information about the degree, please contact Dr Anne Hardy (Tel: 020 7679 8104, e-mail: a.hardy@ucl.ac.uk)
HUMAN GENETICS/GENETICS
Human Genetics is of growing importance in clinical medicine. Many of the present consultants in Clinical Genetics have taken the Human Genetics degree, which forms a very appropriate introduction to the speciality. A new degree of Genetics was introduced in 2002 . This includes more evolutionary studies, introduced particularly for veterinary students but also open to medical students. Apart from students wishing to specialise in genetics, those interested in Obstetrics & Gynaecology (with the increasing importance of prenatal diagnosis), and Paediatrics and general medicine will find that the intercalated BSc is a useful background. It is probably even more important that intending GPs have a good background in human and medical genetics, so that they are in a position to initiate the correct course of action. Quite apart from being useful, human genetics is at a very interesting stage of development, with rapid progress being made in understanding many problems at the molecular level.
Both programmes are designed to follow on immediately after pre-clinical studies but are also suitable for clinical students.
Students take a total of 4 course units and the exact courses to be taken should be discussed with the programme tutor. Guidelines are as follows:-
Human Genetics
We cover the field of human genetics with 3 half course units, Biology B241 (Introduction to human genetics), C340 (human genetics: disease to gene to therapy) and C338 (Advanced human genetics). B241 may not be an absolute requirement for those students who already have a good understanding of human genetics. All students do a research project (1.5 units) which will normally be Introduction to research C300. The core therefore consists of 2.5 or 3 units and other appropriate courses are chosen to make up to 4 units. Particularly recommended courses as optional half units include C201 in Human embryonic development (Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology see below), also BIOLC338 (Sex, genes and evolution), BIOLC336 (Molecular biology in science and medicine) and HPSC32 (New genetics and society). Other courses may be chosen either from the Biology Dept or other departments.
Genetics
Students are expected to do three half course units in genetics, including Biology B241 (Introduction to human genetics), B242 (Evolutionary Genetics) and C339 (Sex, Genes and Evolution). B241 may not be an absolute requirement for those students who already have a good understanding of human genetics. All students do a research project (1.5 units) which will normally be Introduction to research C300.The core therefore consists of 2.5 or 3 units and other appropriate courses from the Biology Department or from other departments are chosen to make up to 4 units. Some students do choose Biology C340 (human genetics: disease to gene to therapy) but students on this course are not expected to do C338 (Advanced human genetics).
BIOLC340: HUMAN GENETICS: DISEASE TO GENE TO THERAPY
½ unit
BLOCK 2
This course covers the characterisation of a clearly inherited human disease from the initial study of its occurrence in families to the identification of the gene(s) involved and the possibilities of gene therapy. The major emphasis is on the approach of positional cloning. Students will become familiar with human genetic variation, linkage analysis, genetic and physical maps and the relevance of the human genome project, comparative mapping, identification of candidate genes and mutations, ethical implications of genetic screening and design of possible gene therapy.
There will be six pieces of work forming the basis of in-course assessment. These include two web-based tutorials, one commentary on a debate and three brief write-ups from conventional tutorials Students are also encouraged to attend departmental seminars which take place on Thursdays at 5pm during blocks 2 and 3.
BIOLC338: ADVANCED HUMAN GENETICS
½ unit
BLOCK 3
This course concentrates on the understanding of diseases where the relationship of genotype and phenotype cannot always be explained by straightforward Mendelian inheritance. These ‘complex traits’ include some of the most common of human disorders which contribute enormously to the burden of ill health and are seen every day in clinical practice. Unravelling their causes and making good use of the information gained is a major challenge of tomorrow’s medicine. Subjects covered include genetic aspects of neurogenetics (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), cardiovascular disease, ageing, eye diseases, prion diseases, mitochondrial disease, imprinting and pharmacogenetics as well as the general approaches used to tackle complex problems.
The major piece of in-course assessment is the preparation (in groups) of a research plan to solve some particular problem which students present in the form of a grant application.
GENEC201: HUMAN EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
½ unit
Block 1 and 2
(contact Dr Joyce Harper, joyce.harper@ucl.ac.uk)
This course covers all stages of human embryonic development from gametogenesis through fertilisation and implantation to the second trimester of pregnancy. The anatomy and physiology of the male and female reproductive tracts and gametogenesis will be described including problems that can lead to infertility. Fertilisation and embryo development both in vivo and in vitro will be studied including new assisted reproduction techniques such as assisted fertilisation. This will include demonstrations of human in vitro fertilisation. The stages of fetal development, including development of the limbs, heart, digestive, respiratory, nervous and reproductive systems will be discussed including problems that can arise during fetal development. A lecture on stem cells will outline the current status
There will be demonstrations of clinical and laboratory aspects.
IMMUNOLOGY AND CELL PATHOLOGY
ROYAL FREE AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE MEDICAL SCHOOL
This Intercalated BSc programme aims to attract students with distinctive qualities. It is particularly suitable for those who fall into one or more of the following categories:
i) who have found that the Phase 1 course gives an overview but lacks depth because of its breadth and want the freedom to pursue depth and their own initiatives.
ii) who definitely want to do an intercalated programme.
iii) who want to pursue, in particular, the study of the mechanisms of disease, rather than normal structure and function.
iv) who want to try out research during the course of an intercalated year and if at all possible, make an original research contribution.
v) who have been fascinated by the nature of underlying mechanisms of disease, either from their experience on the first 2 years of the MBBS programme, or via their clinical experience.
Our aim in running the programme is much more than a mere acquisition of knowledge.
We hope that:
i) the programme will encourage you to exploit your analytical, critical and correlative abilities.
ii) the programme will increase your scientific maturity and self-confidence.
iii) the programme will give you a permanent intellectual framework for rapidly assimilating new subject areas and evaluating the claims made in contemporary medical research.
The design of the programme is based upon many years of teaching and research in this field at UCL.
i) the teaching tradition has generated a large number of the textbooks that are used world-wide.
ii) The staff have many years of experience, teaching both undergraduate medical and science students, and supervising post-graduate students.
iii) the research background of the Immunology Department includes some of the landmark discoveries in science: by the late Sir Peter Medawar that the immune system is responsible for rejecting organs and grafts from another person; by Professor Avrion Mitchison that cells can be used to transfer immunity from one animal to another; and by Professor Ivan Roitt and Professor Deborah Doniach that the immune system can sometimes react against the body’s own tissue, which leads to the development of “auto-immune” diseases.
iv) the topics covered during the seminars do not aim to be comprehensive; rather the objective is to build on the local strengths and excellences.
v) present research opportunities that are available to students on this programme come from a wide range of disciplines, sharing the common feature that they link basic and clinical aspects of disease.
[A representative example taken from the different teams that work on the HIV-1 virus, is that some are looking at how the virus enters cells, others at how this affects the biology of the infected cells and their neighbours, and others at how mutations in the virus can arise in patient populations. Further examples of different approaches are found in the teams that are exploring similar cell – molecule – patient problems in rheumatology, in both systemic and organ specific auto-immunity, in artherogenesis and in the development of immunotherapy and gene therapy for cancer]
Entry into the programme is based upon a combination of interview and evaluated performance. Remember, though, that some of the skills required to do well on this programme are different from those required in the other parts of the medical curriculum. Traditionally most UCL students intercalated this programme between years 2 and 3. At the Royal Free this was between year 4 and 5. The programme has now been adapted so that it is suitable to be taken at any stage after year 2 of the MBBS programme. For external medical and veterinary students timing of entry was/is variable, and is dependant on the preceding experience, as well as references from tutors.
Exit from the programme is either into the clinical course or sometimes into the MB PhD programme. This programme has proven valuable not only for those pursuing careers in clinical immunology (a specialty jointly supervised by the Royal College of Physicians and Pathologists), and pathology, but also in a wide variety of other medical and veterinary specialities – e.g. infectious diseases, rheumatology, haematology, oncology, transplantation, paediatrics, nephrology, dermatology, cardiology, respiratory medicine and general practice.
The structure of the taught components of the programme is as follows:
• Most lectures are held in the mornings, starting at 9.30 am or 10.00 am.
• Interaction with lecturers and class discussion is actively encouraged throughout the programme. Students are given a reading list for most seminars, which includes both research papers and reviews.
• Students are expected to draw their own conclusions from their reading, rather than accepting them as dogma: we hope that this engenders a self-assured approach which remains as a permanent intellectual asset long after the factual information obtained from the programme has been superceded!
A key factor of this programme is the tutorial system: groups of 4 or 5 students meet their tutor weekly throughout the first term to discuss the next seminars and to resolve any academic questions that might arise.
The compulsory courses for this degree are:
i) ½ unit ANATC101 as outlined below in the 1st three weeks of the academic year (Block 1).
½ unit IMMNC315 as outlined below in the 2nd three weeks of the academic year (Block 1).
½ unit IMMNC316 as outlined below in the third three weeks of the academic year (Block 2)
ii) 1 ½ unit research project, which runs in parallel with the taught courses throughout the year.
The optional courses for this degree are:
i) a choice of any two half units selected from those offered in the Department as outlined below (Blocks 3 & 4).
ii) one half unit selected from those offered in the Department as outlined below (Blocks 3 & 4) and a second ½ unit from outside the Department subject to the approval of the Programme Tutor.
ANATC101: ADVANCED CELL BIOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 1
Dr K Swann (Anatomy), Dr J Carroll (Physiology), Professor D Katz (Immunology)
This course is designed for BSc and Intercalating BSc students in the Departments of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Physiology (including Cell Biology) and Immunology.
There are 3 general aims:
1) To introduce students to concepts and problems in current cell biology research.
2) To provide the opportunity to study some the original scientific literature relevant to cell function.
3) To develop critical skills in order to judge the quality and validity of the relevant original literature.
After a general introduction in research methods, selected important topics covered will include phospholipid and calcium signaling, pathogens, gene regulation, endocytosis and exocytosis, the cell cycle, mitochondria, apoptosis, proteolysis, and the role of cytoskeleton in cell motility. Most lectures will introduce each area and then proceed to discuss original research data as well as the methods by which the data are obtained. Other lectures will specifically cover how students should approach the reading of scientific papers, and explain the use of bioinformatics and modern imaging techniques as applied to cell biology.
IMMNC315: INFLAMATION AND IMMUNITY
½ unit
BLOCK 1
Course Organisers: Professor M Collins, Professor D Katz
This course starts with an overview of the important components of the inflammatory and immune responses to injury, and at the interactions that are critical in these responses, and at the micro-environments where they occur. After this introduction, the seminars focus on different specific aspects of inflammation and innate immunity. Then there is a shift in emphasis to the principles of adaptive immunity, focussing on the properties of B and T cells, and on MHC. As part of this course there will be a full day bioinformatics workshop, where new approaches to immunologically important molecules will be demonstrated, and there will also be a workshop on live cell imaging to show how this is changing the way we approach the subjects.
As part of this course, you will be expected to prepare a ‘news and views’ review. For this two articles are selected for you. You are expected to choose one of these articles, and study it in detail. Then you are expected to write a review of the article, explaining the context in which the work was done, summarising it briefly, and placing it in a broader perspective. To get an idea of what is required, you should look at the combination of paper plus news and views that appear in Nature each week, or the similar feature that appear in Science. About 1000 words of text are expected.
Students will be expected to consolidate and extend their knowledge by reading recommended original research papers as well as topical reviews in each of the subject areas covered.
IMMNC316: FURTHER IMMUNOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 2
Course Organisers: Professor M Collins & Professor D Katz
Further Immunology deals with the regulation of the adaptive immune system, the immunological basis of disease and the response to various infectious agents.
The aims of the course are to bring the student up-to-date with what is currently exciting and what are the great unknowns in various aspects of Immunology. Initial topics include T and B cell development and the mechanisms by which T cells and B cells respond to antigen. Tolerance of the immune system to self antigens is discussed, followed by examples of immune disregulation such as auto-immune disease and immunodeficiency. Finally, there are summaries of how the immune system as a whole responds to infectious agents. The speakers, many from outside UCL, are leading researchers in their particular fields. Their lectures will emphasise the experimental basis of our current understanding.
BLOCK 2
Further reading and project work
BLOCKS 3 & 4
In the third block, students will continue with project work, and can take up to two half unit options in the Department.
The options in the Department are:
IMMNC317: PATHOLOGY OF CHRONIC DISEASE INCLUDING INFECTION AND AUTOIMMUNITY
½ unit
Course organiser: Professor Benny Chain, Dr Peter Delves, Professor David Katz
The first part of this course looks at chronic infection. Many micro-organisms have evolved mechanisms to avoid, or resist their host's immune response, and to establish long-lasting persistent infection. The threat of such chronic infections to the host is two pronged. On the one hand, an insufficient immune response can allow the invader to multiply unchecked. On the other, an excessive response will itself result in over- stimulation of immune effector mechanisms. In either case, severe damage to the host, or death, can result. Examples of micro-organisms capable of inducing such chronic infections, including the eukaryotic malaria and leishmania parasites, myccobacteria, and some of the herpes and hepatitis viruses are explored. All five groups contain organisms responsible for major human diseases worldwide. These sessions will look at the interaction between host and pathogen, the immunopathological mechanisms leading to tissue damage, and possible immunotherapeutic approaches to controlling infectious disease.
Although most disease may start with the drama and excitement of acute inflammation, with killer bugs and myriads of defender cells, in real life it is the chronic long standing processes that matter, and that are responsible for most morbidity and mortality. Hence, in the second part of this course a common feature is that infection may not be an immediate and obvious cause but that lesions and mediators are common to most forms of chronic disease thus the first topic covered is to ask: how does chronic injury relate to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems? A major theme is atheroma, based upon the plaque "response to injury hypothesis", and exploring the relationship between genetic and environmental factors in pathogenesis. Osteoarthritis and systemic scelerosis are used as models of chronic diseases affecting connective tissue. Amyloidosis will be used as an example of a chronic degenerative condition. The relationship between chronic disease and autoimmunity will begin to be analysed, using examples from the central nervous system and the eye.
The final section looks at one of the ways in which the immune system does not always get it quite right. Although it is supposed to fight infection, sometimes it seems to go awry and starts attacking our own cells and tissues. In fact, this is a common occurrence, with perhaps 10% of the population suffering from autoimmune diseases. Why does the immune system appear to stray from its given task? The problem will be tackled by a number of teachers, many of whom are world leaders in the field. They will talk about some of the main factors involved in the development of autoimmune disease and about how immunological thinking regarding these diseases has shifted over the years. A few representative groups of diseases will be examined to see how they can inform us not only regarding the pathological processes involved but additionally about the opening up of the new areas of drug discovery that can be exploited in other areas where immunosuppression maybe desired, such as in allergy and for transplantation.
IMMNC318: ALLERGY, IMMUNODEFICIENCY AND TRANSPLANTATION ½ unit
Course organiser: Dr Peter Delves, Professor David Katz
Incidence of allergic disease, where individuals are responding to naturally occurring substances, is increasing alarmingly. With currently over 12 percent of children exhibiting signs and symptoms of this problem and up to 7% of adults, this module explains the basis of allergy and gives details of the pathogenesis of asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergy. Debate is conducted on the aetiology of allergic disease considering genetic, immunological and environmental factors. During this week virtually all aspects of this problem are covered from the latest scientific work investigating the origins of immunological hyper-responsiveness in the foetus, to the various treatment options available to manage patients with these allergic problems. The tutors this week are all nationally and internationally recognised in their field. Scientists, pathologists and clinicians are all represented, each bringing their own perspectives on this area of huge importance to overall public health.
The aim of the second week is to give the student a thorough understanding of diseases, both inherited and acquired, that impair the immune system. The major arms of the immune system will be considered: i.e. both the innate and adaptive. The course begins with an explanation of genetic defects that affect T-cell function. In order to appreciate how these abnormalities exert their effects, the role of these gene products will be explored, to make the basic defects understandable. The different deficiencies underlying abnormalities in antibody production will also be examined with a similar emphasis. Genetic defects affecting phagocytic function, as a common end pathway of innate immunity, will be analysed.
The majority of patients with genetic defects affecting the immune system present in early childhood; however, many patients with immune defects present in later life because of non-genetic events. A large variety of drugs and diseases, particularly malignancies, affect the immune system. The current and future treatments available to correct the various immunodeficiencies will be covered.
In the third week, the aim is for the student to understand how the immune system responds to the strong immunogenic molecules grouped together in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) when non-self tissues are transplanted. Basic principles of how the immune system responds to different degrees of mismatch between recipient and donor will be analysed in detail. This will include how self-MHC molecules present non-self antigens and how non-self MHC molecules are recognised whether these come from an individual of the same species (allograft) or a different species (xenograft). The different types of immune responses made to transplanted tissue will be examined. The key questions are:
• How are the transplant responses similar to and how they differ from normal immune reponses made to antigens presented by self MHC:
• How are these responses circumvented, sometimes successfully, in transplantation.
The almost invariable requirement for immunosuppression, how immunosuppressive agents work and what problems they cause in transplant recipients will be discussed. Attempts to avoid immunosuppression by means of inducing tolerance to non-self MHC will be covered, and the question ‘what new progress has been made in trying to achieve this in human transplantation?’ will be addressed.
IMMNC319: NEOPLASIA AND ITS TREATMENT
½ unit
Course organiser: Professor David Katz/Professor J Hartley
In the course of this half unit the aim is for the student to build on core knowledge of the cells, molecules and mechanisms that have been covered in the C101, C315 and C316 courses, and see how these are implicated in the natural history of neoplastic disease. There is considerable emphasis on the links between normal growth, development and responsiveness, and neoplastic growth. In addition, these topics will be linked to a series of seminars that explore the mechanisms of present and possible future treatment modalities.
Neoplastic disease is one of the most common pathological processes, which will affect over half of the population. The recent advances in our understanding of the basic cell and molecular pathology of neoplasia have been dramatic. We know far more about the cell cycle, and the concept of cancer as dysregulation of tumour suppressor genes is widely accepted.
The first seminar provides a basis for the course explaining current concepts of tumour nomenclature and classification. Then the seminars continue with the examination of cell transformation at a cellular and molecular level, and look at DNA damage and repair mechanisms. The properties of the neoplastic cell are examined critically, looking at oncogenes, growth factors and their receptors. There will be a discussion about chromosome abnormalities in cancer. There is increasing recognition that viral infections are linked to human tumours, and that viruses play an important role in oncogenesis. The relationship between viral oncogenesis and the immune system is highly topical, and will be explored. To put neoplastic disease in its societal context, epidemiological aspects will be covered in a separate session. There will be seminars on stem cells – which is becoming an increasingly important topic, not only in our understanding of the basic science of neoplasia, but also with important therapeutic implications.
One has to be aware that malignant tumours are the second most common form of illness leading to death in this country. Treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, hormones and various forms of cytotoxic chemotherapy. The second part of the course will look at the mechanisms which underlie some of these forms of treatment. This will include seminars on the molecular basis of anti-cancer drugs, and on radiation and its effects. Furthermore, the potential of immune mechanisms in the prevention, limitation and evolution of tumours has long been known and attempts to enhance immunity against tumours have gradually begun to have more success. Therefore, the basic principles of tumour immunity, how tumours establish themselves despite immune responses or because immune responses are deficient will be covered. Physical and chemical oncogenic agents or carcinogens has a more subtle relationship with the immune system, and this will be explored. Lastly, the possibility of manipulating immunogenic tumours to the benefit of the individual or of using immunological weapons to attack malignant tumours will be explored, giving an insight into cancer therapies of the future; and this leads into a discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of gene therapy for cancer.
Note: An additional half unit is available in the Department as an option. This half unit takes place in the first term between Blocks 1 and 2.
MICRC308: MOLECULAR VIROLOGY
½ unit
Dr Paul Kellam, Dr Jeremy Garson, Professor Richard Tedder
The aim of the course is to bring the students up to date information on what is currently exciting and topical in molecular virology. The course speakers and tutors are from the Departments of Virology and Immunology & Molecular Pathology, and the Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research, all within UCL, and are leading researchers in their particular fields. The course consists of 5 weeks of lectures and tutorials followed by a final reading and essay writing week. Each week will concentrate on particular aspects of molecular virology.
The course will start with lectures covering virus molecular biology. Viral diseases will be explained, together with methods for diagnosing and measuring viral infections. New advances in how viruses are discovered will be presented together with how this challenges classical ideas about proof of disease causation. The next two weeks of lectures will examine, how certain viruses cause cancer, and how retroviruses, particularly HIV, cause disease. Students will also learn how viruses interact with their host at the cellular and immune system level and how new insights into host-pathogen biology can be gained through functional genomics.
Alternatively, after discussion with the programme tutor, students can choose half units from the wide range on offer at UCL during the second term. Options must be at third year level.
BLOCKS 1 - 4
IMMNC314: RESEARCH PROJECT IN IMMUNOLOGY AND CELL
1 ½ units
Course Organiser: Professor D Katz
This is often regarded as the most valuable part of the course, running in parallel with the lectures and seminars. The detailed arrangements for the selection of projects and supervisors and for monitoring progress during the year, are co-ordinated by the tutor. Students join a research group associated with one of the lecturers and conduct a line of original investigation under supervision. The project runs throughout two terms. Students are not expected to work as technicians or to regard the project as a laboratory practical. They are expected to become an integral, responsible member of the group to which they are attached. Thus they learn about the planning, execution and writing up of a piece of original research and to appreciate what it means to take final responsibility for a final product which makes a contribution to scientific knowledge. The write-up of the project is in the form of a scientific paper, of about 10,000 words in length. Most projects are of sufficient quality to be presented at national (or international) meetings and to form the basis for a publication.
Most students have continued to maintain working links and close association with their project supervisor beyond the end of the formal course. Some students enjoy the project to such an extent that they continue on to do a PhD. This can be immediately, either as a full-time student, or via the MB PhD programme, or at a later stage, after completing their clinical studies.
Further information:
Further information about this programme can be obtained from:
Professor David R Katz 020 7679 9397, Room 442, 4th Floor, Windeyer Building
Course Organiser
Samantha Photiades 020 7679 9246, Room 309, 3rd Floor, Windeyer Building
Teaching Administrator
INFECTION
AIMS:
The aim of this programme is to provide a theoretical and practical training in the biology of infectious agents and the responses of the host to infection. Aspects covered include prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and involve the application of molecular and classical techniques. Modules 1, 3 and 4 are taught at the Hampstead site.
STRUCTURE:
THE PROGRAMME COMPRISES FOUR COMPULSORY TAUGHT MODULES AND AN EXTENSIVE, LABORATORY BASED RESEARCH PROJECT:
MODULES:
PATHI006: MOLECULAR APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING INFECTION
1 unit
BLOCK 1
Content includes the processes of DNA replication, transcription and translation, methods used in molecular biology to produce clones of DNA and RNA, and vectors and procedures used for the prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression of genes. There is a strong emphasis on the application of these techniques to the advancement of our understanding of infectious agents and the development of new approaches to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
IMMNB003: IMMUNOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 3 & 4
Content includes the molecular basis of antibody diversity, cytokines and immunoregulation, cellular aspects of immunity, the immune system and its role in host defence, cellular co-operation in immunity, biological aspects of antigen-antibody interaction and the immune system and evolution. This module includes practicals.
PATHI003: MOLECULAR VIROLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 1
Content includes the genetic composition of various viruses, the replication of the major groups of viruses, viral proteins that interfere with the cell cycle, opportunistic infections that occur in T-cell and B-cell deficient hosts, retrovirus replication and the use of anti-retroviral agents to control disease, the relationship between viral load and disease, targets for antiviral intervention, the methods used by viruses to evade the immune system, and the prion hypothesis and the risk of transmission of BSE.
PATHI002: MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 1 & 2
Content includes the pathogenic micro-organisms causing problems in the human host, the mechanism of action of antimicrobials, the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, the mechanisms used by micro-organisms to evade the immune system, toxins encoded by micro-organisms, the pathogenesis of fungal infections, gastrointestinal infections, malarial infections and TB, the pathogenesis of CNS infections and the determinants of virulence in micro-organisms.
PATH1005: RESEARCH PROJECT:
1 ½ units
The project is a major component of the programme, comprising one and one half course units. The aim is to enable the student to experience being part of an active research laboratory and to learn the scientific process, as well as a variety of techniques. The project is assessed on the basis of a written report. Potentially, the project may lead to a publication in the literature.
Why choose an IBSc in Infection?
To understand better the pathogenesis of infectious diseases in humans and the viruses, bacteria and other parasites responsible for these infections. The programme provides a strong background in the use of molecular techniques to study pathogenic processes, as well as in developing new diagnostic methods and therapies, and in the immune response to infection.
The research project is a major component of the programme and runs throughout the intercalated year. This offers the opportunity to work alongside researchers in UCL laboratories, as well as the possibility of publication in the scientific literature.
When to Intercalate?
The programme may ONLY be taken after the 3rd or 4th years of the medical programme. (Preferably after the fourth year, which includes a four-week clinical attachment in communicable diseases.) You may wish to consider taking one or more of the following SSMs during your first two years: Infectious Diseases in developing countries, Viral causes of encephalitis, The origins of the HIV epidemic, Bacteria and gastrointestinal infection, Hepatology: from science to clinical practice, Vaccines: the only effective method to combat infectious disease, Microbial infections: the battle between man and microbe, Vaccine, The role of viruses in cancer, Cytomegalovirus in organ transplantation and BSE, CJD and the prion diseases.
Examples of projects undertaken by students in past years:
• Deletion mutagenesis of the hepatitis B virus binding protein.
• Optimising a multiplex PCR for specific detection of methicillin-resistant Saphylococcus species.
• Generation of a cell line containing a continuously replicating dengue virus replicon
• A prospective study on multiple colonisation of the nasopharynx by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a semi-closed community in Northern Tanzania: an analysis of antibiotic sensitivities.
• Consequences of HBV core promoter double mutations on the function of the X gene product
• Genetic variation in novel genes encoded by clinical strains of human cytomegalovirus
• Developing an in vitro system to mimic cytomegalovirus replication in the retina.
• Investigating the expression of novel cytomegalovirus genes in biopsy tissues by in situ hybridisation
• The role of Mycoplasma spp. in respiratory tract infections in neutropenic and stem cell transplant patients.
• Susceptibility of porcine cytomegalovirus to anti-herpesvirus drugs - relevance to xenotransplantation
• Sequencing and cloning of pneumococcal secretory component binding domains
• Multi-resistant Acinetobacter sp. in the Critical Care Setting.
• A prospective study on multiple colonisation of the nasopharynx by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a semi-closed community in Northern Tanzania: an analysis of multiple serotypes.
COURSE TUTOR: Dr T J Harrison, Hampstead site (T.Harrison@rfc.ucl.ac.uk).
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
The Programme
The programme is designed to give students an introduction to International Health.
The aims are:
• to gain understanding of health and the provision of healthcare in different countries and cultures worldwide.
• to understand the local factors that affect a population’s health and the global factors that link and shape health across the world.
Outline
The programme consists of 3 course units of compulsory modules, 1 unit of which is a project of the student’s choice. There is a further 1 unit of optional modules, including the opportunity to study a course outside IHMEC (UCL INTERNATIONAL HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL CENTRE).
Compulsory modules
CNME0011: INTERNATIONAL HEALTH POLICY
½ unit
TERM 1
The aim of this module is to introduce the student to the actors, organisations and institutions that form health policy. Students will learn how to analyse the different ways in which global forces can impact on the health and health care of individuals, populations and nations. The impact of globalisation on health policy will be examined in depth.
CHME0010: INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEMS AND GLOBALISATION
½ unit
TERM 1
The aim of this module is to introduce the student to the patterns of health care provision in the context of changing global processes. The module will introduce an analysis of the theories of globalisation and will outline the key players influencing the balance between public and private resourcing, and between prevention/primary care and secondary care. The growth of supranational corporations involved in health care provision, insurance and pharmaceuticals will be outlined. The role of NGOs and of information technology will be examined in the context of these changing patterns of health care governance.
CHME0008: HEALTH, POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT
½ unit
TERM 1
The course provides an introduction to concepts of development, poverty and inequality and the local and global forces that underlie them. Students are introduced to modernisation and underdevelopment theory and the influence of gender and inequality as well as social, economic and political conditions on health. The influence of states, markets and civil society on health are also examined.
CHME0009: CONFLICT, MIGRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS
½ unit
TERM 2
This module introduces students to the major patterns of international migration and the factors underlying these population movements. Students also learn about the theoretical basis and practical applications of human rights, particularly in relation to conflict and migration. The experiences of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide will be examined, particularly in relation to access to health care.
CHME0007: PROJECT
1 unit
TERM 2
The project can be on any aspect of international health, such as refugee health, infectious disease, debt and health in developing countries or globalisation and health. Most projects will be literature reviews, but some may involve primary research. The project is based in the UK, usually involving spending time at a non-governmental organisation or other organisation working in international health, as at present there is no space in the timetable to go overseas. Each student will then write an 8,000 - 10,000-word research report.
Optional modules
Students must take:
EITHER:
CHME0006:MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
½ unit
TERM 2
The course provides an introduction to the problems facing mothers and children in developing countries. The lectures examine how infection, malnutrition and maternal and child health services affect the outcomes of pregnancy. HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhoeal disease and parasitic diseases are examined in detail. The factors influencing child development in developing countries are studied, in particular the effects of poverty and migration on health.
OR:
CHME0005:INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
½ unit
TERM 2
This course introduces students to the main infectious diseases to be found in developing countries, their causes and methods of transmission. It also examines the relationship between the infectious diseases and public policy, and looks at the economic, political and social factors contributing to the spread of infectious disease.
The remaining half course unit should be chosen from another relevant UCL department, such as Anthropology, Geography, Economics or History of Medicine (½ course unit).
Optional module
Due to timetable clashes between IHMEC modules and other departments, we cannot be sure which modules we will be able to offer outside IHMEC. Examples of courses taken in recent years include:
• Anthropology department: Political and Economic Anthropology; Population Studies; Anthropology of Religion
• History of Medicine department: The Rise of Modern Medicine; Colonial and Empire Medicine
• Economics department: Economics, Basic Macroeconomic Concepts
• Geography department: Water and Development in Africa.
The summer holiday following the BSc year provides opportunities for clinical students to use IHMEC’s established links in developing countries to organise their own research or clinical placement. However, this is not part of the BSc itself, and is not a replacement for the formal BSc project. More information about this is available on the IHMEC website (ihmec.ucl.ac.uk)
Useful information
The programmee is mainly lecture and library based. The teaching time is fairly small but there will be reading material to study for each module. Each module comprises a lecture each week, material to study and read around, and a tutorial each week to bring it all together and discuss the issues. The emphasis will be on developing your own ideas and arguments around the lectures and reading material.
From 2004-5 onwards, the programme will only be available to students who have completed at least one year of clinical medicine. (Students who have completed at least 2 years of medicine may apply but for the 2004-5 academic year, preference will be given to those who have completed at least 1 clinical year. Despite this, we still expect to have some places for students with no clinical experience, so would still encourage 2nd year students to apply) - The highlighted information has been added since the booklet was printed.
The centre
The intercalated BSc is run by the UCL International Health and Medical Education Centre (IHMEC).
The aim of IHMEC is to develop and promote teaching on global health in the medical curriculum. It has three members of staff:
Professor John Yudkin, Director
Chris Willott, BSc Course Tutor and Centre Co-ordinator
Dr Jaime Miranda, International Health Electives Co-ordinator
For more information regarding the programme, admission and entry requirements please contact Chris Willott (c.willott@ucl.ac.uk, 020 7288 5347).
Further information is available on the IHMEC website, ihmec.ucl.ac.uk.
MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The Intercalated B.Sc. in Medical Anthropology offers medical students an introduction to a coherent set of skills and a ‘way of seeing’ based in the social sciences. By examining both the healing systems of other cultures world-wide and alternative or complementary therapies in our own society and by putting them analytically alongside the practice of biomedicine, the programme offers students systematic insights, for example, into how patients and their families in a multi-cultural setting cope with illness. It also seeks to locate health and medicines within wider cultural contexts (religion and symbolism, for example, or ecology; but the range of options is broad). Finally, the programme seeks to teach students some of the field-research and analytic skills used by professional anthropologists, skills which students can then try out in their dissertation for the programme. No previous academic knowledge of social anthropology is required, though an experience of ways of thinking other than those of strictly scientific biomedicine may be an advantage.
This programme provides medical students primarily with an introduction to social anthropology and how it can be related to different medical practices and health. Students are taught key classic concepts in social anthropology such as those in the fields of kinship and the family, witchcraft and religion, as well as being introduced to some of the most modern texts in medical anthropology. There is also the option of taking courses relating to human evolution and ecology, which are of relevance to understanding aspects of human biology, such as ageing, and variation in health around the world.
The programme is made up of 2 units of compulsory subjects, and a further 2 units of the student’s choice. The course “Anthropology for Medical Students” is exclusive to the intercalated students taking Medical Anthropology. It is designed as a ‘link course’ to the other Anthropology options and focuses on those issues of particular interest to Medical students. This course is assessed by means of a dissertation on a subject of the student’s choice, whilst most other courses are assessed by both examination and essay.
Compulsory courses:
ANTHC117: ANTHROPOLOGY FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
1 unit
TERM 1 & 2
ANTHB004: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
½ unit
ALL YEAR
ANTHC050: MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 1 & 2
A further 2 units are chosen from within the Department of Anthropology, or occasionally outside. Popular options include:
Sex and Gender
Population studies
Political and Economic Anthropology
Kinship and Social Organisation
Anthropology of Religion
Paleoanthropology
Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology
Ecological Anthropology
Ethnography of a Selected Region
Primate Behaviour and Ecology
Eurasian post-socialist societies
Evolutionary medicine
Madness and Society
Man and Animals
Anthropology and Psychiatry
Population and Evolutionary Genetics
In addition there are courses in the anthropology of art, visual culture (colonial & post-colonial), landscape and mass consumption for those interested in ‘material culture’.
If you would like further information write to or e-mail:
Dr Sahra Gibbon,
Department of Anthropology,
UCL,
Gower Street,
London WC1E 6BT.
(E-mail: s.gibbon@ucl.ac.uk)
MEDICAL HUMANITIES
This is the first BSc in Medical Humanities offered in the UK and therefore represents a unique opportunity to pursue studies in this exciting interdisciplinary subject. Based within the Centre for Medical Humanities, courses are taught by a wide range of staff from across UCL.
The programme aims to develop the learners’ interest in and knowledge and understanding of the contribution of the humanities to the understanding of how:
1. Illness impacts on individuals, families and societies
2. Cultural and societal attitudes influence the human condition including health and well-being
3. Philosophical analysis can be used to investigate the theory and practice of medicine
4. The history of medicine provides insights into ways that both disease and medical practice have been viewed in the past, and how this can inform both current and future practice
5. The methodologies of the humanities can be usefully applied to medical research
In achieving these aims learners will be introduced to the disciplines of literature and medicine, social anthropology, philosophy, medical ethics, the history of medicine and film studies. They will draw on the insights and understanding offered by these academic fields into the theory and practice of medicine. Graduates will be able to draw on a broad range of perspectives in their subsequent work as healthcare professionals. They will appreciate the importance of the context in which illness is experienced by their patients and addressed by health professionals. By the end of the course, they should understand the value of the humanities as an educational, research and support resource both in their professional and private lives. They will also have acquired skills to complement those of traditional scientific research.
The following units are all compulsory components of the 4 unit degree.
PRIMH001: LITERATURE AND MEDICINE
½ unit
TERM 1 & 2
The course will be co-tutored by staff from Comparative Literature and the Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH). Learners will be introduced to the disciplines of literary criticism, narrative discourse analysis and comparative literature analysis as well as a wide selection of poetry and prose.
PRIMH004: HISTORY OF MEDICINE
½ unit
TERM 1 & 2
The course will involve lectures provided by staff from the Wellcome Trust Unit for the History of Medicine and seminars provided by CMH staff. Learners will examine the contribution of the history of medicine to the understanding of the ways that both disease and medical practice have been viewed in the past, how this can inform both current and future practice, and the influence of cultural and societal attitudes on concepts of health and well-being from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
PRIMH001: SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
½ unit
TERM 1 & 2
The course will involve lectures provided by staff from the Department of Anthropology and seminars provided by CMH staff. The course aims to develop the learners’ interest in and knowledge of how cultural and societal attitudes influence the human condition including health and well-being, and the role of these attitudes in shaping expectations and outcomes.
PRIMH002: FILM AND MEDICINE
½ unit
TERM 1 & 2
The course will be taught by staff from the British Film Institute, the Wellcome Trust Video and Film Library, and CMH staff. This course aims to develop the learners’ interest in and knowledge of the contribution of cinema to the concept of medical professional identity, both in the past and present, as perceived by doctors and patients, the influence of societal attitudes on medical practice, and the role of narrative in the clinical encounter. In achieving these aims learners will be introduced to the discipline of film studies as well as a wide selection of films.
PRIMH005: PHILOSOPHY AND MEDICINE
½ unit
TERM 1 & 2
The course is taught by staff from the philosophy department, the Centre for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine, and CMH and aims to enable learners to develop a basic understanding of philosophical analysis and its application to the investigation of the theory and practice of medicine.
PRIMH006: RESEARCH PROJECT
1½ units
TERM 3
The research project aims to enable learners to develop the knowledge and skills required to carry out a humanities research project investigating a question relevant to an area of medicine. The research pursued may relate to one of the disciplines covered in the other course units or may be interdisciplinary in nature.
For further information please email the Centre’s Development officer on: heather.mitchell@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
MEDICAL PHYSICS & BIOENGINEERING
Technology plays an increasingly dominant role in medicine, and doctors are finding that an ability to understand and utilise new instrumentation and techniques encountered in hospitals is becoming essential. The intercalated degree offered by the Department of Medical Physics & Bioengineering provides a comprehensive overview of the technology involved in modern healthcare, and introduces medical students to the fundamental physical principles on which it is based.
Elsewhere in Europe, Medical Physics is often considered to be an essential part of the medical school curriculum, and the training that our degree provides is designed to benefit the careers of all medical students, in whatever area of medicine they should choose to specialise. The course will be particularly valuable to medical students considering careers in Diagnostic Radiology. The degree syllabus has a very strong emphasis on medical imaging, including MRI, computed tomography, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. Students are also introduced to applications of computers to medicine, and are provided with the opportunity to learn about and contribute towards new areas of research being conducted within the department. Having completed intercalated degrees, several of our past students have elected to pursue PhD degrees within our department before returning to medical school.
The programme is taught within the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering at University College London. The classes usually involve small numbers of students, which facilitates a friendly and informal atmosphere.
Students will be required to take six lecture courses, plus a project selected from those offered each year by the many research groups working in the Medical Physics Department at UCL and UCL Hospitals. The six courses will be chosen from the list given below, including the two Medical Imaging courses and an introductory mathematics course which are compulsory.
The programme is suitable for students at any stage of the MBBS programme. Although most courses are the same as those offered to Physics M.Sci. students, no significant background knowledge beyond A-Level Physics and Mathematics (or equivalent standard) is essential. Students without A-Level Mathematics (or equivalent) are still permitted to take the course, although some additional background reading will be required. Our intercalated students are also provided with informal tutorials every week which enable them to discuss matters arising from the course material, and to supplement their background knowledge of physics and mathematics.
Course Unit List
PHYSC390: MEDICAL IMAGING WITH IONISING RADIATION
½ unit
TERM 1 (Compulsory course)
Course Organiser: Professor Robert Speller
The most frequently undertaken clinical investigation apart from the analysis of a blood sample is the use of ionising radiation to image or investigate the functioning of an organ. This course covers the theoretical background to the formation and analysis of such images and uses clinical examples to illustrate the application of the imaging systems. It covers both planar and cross sectional imaging using x-ray and gamma ray sources.
PHYSC391: MEDICAL IMAGING WITH NON-IONISING RADIATION
½ unit
TERM 1 (Compulsory course)
Course Organiser: Professor Roger Ordidge
This course covers the technology and basic principles of diagnostic ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The ultrasound topics include image formation, system design, image artefacts, and Doppler flow measurement. The other half of the course is devoted to the basic theory of nuclear magnetic resonance, signal acquisition techniques, MRI image formation, image processing techniques, and MRI instrumentation.
PHYSC393: MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICAL PHYSICS
½ unit
TERM 1 (Compulsory course)
Course Organiser: Professor Jem Hebden
This introductory course is designed specifically for intercalated students in order that they gain a basic familiarity with various mathematical techniques and notation which form part of their other lecture courses. The lectures emphasise the need for an intuitive understanding of specific methods and their application rather than a rigorous training in mathematics.
PHYSC392: TREATMENT USING IONISING RADIATION
½ unit
TERM 2
Course Organiser: Dr. Alf Linney
The aim of this course is to present the basic physics involved in radiotherapy. This includes a knowledge of how quantities of radiation and radiation doses are measured, including the theory of radiation detectors and dosimeters; a knowledge of how cells are affected by exposure to ionising radiation and the mechanisms involved; knowledge of how the treatment plan for a patient is developed and carried out; and a knowledge of the risks involved and the concepts of radiation protection.
PHYSC386: OPTICS IN MEDICINE
½ unit
TERM 1
Course Organiser: Dr. Clare Elwell
Techniques based on the use of optical radiation are playing an increasingly important role in diagnosis, therapy, and surgery. This course describes the fundamental interactions of visible, near-infrared, and ultraviolet light with biological tissues, and presents the instrumentation involved. The applications which are discussed include spectroscopy (as a physiological sensor), endoscopy, laser surgery, optometry, and therapy.
COMP3C53: MEDICAL SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING
½ unit
TERM 2
Course Organiser: Professor Andrew Todd-Pokropek
A facility to use and understand computers and computing techniques is as important in medicine as in any other profession. This course deals with the principles of data handling and display, and introduces some basic mathematical tools involved in image reconstruction (tomography). Other topics include picture archiving and communications systems (PACS), the man-machine interface, and applications to some clinical problems.
ELECE760: MEDICAL ELECTRONICS I
½ unit
TERM 1
Course Organiser: Dr. Nick Donaldson
For students interested in the fundamental processes involved in the development of new medical instruments, this course provides a valuable introduction to electronics applied to medicine. Topics include: the origin and measurement of electrophysiological signals; electrodes; muscle stimulation; and electric shock hazards and safety devices. Material taught in the classroom will be supplemented with laboratory practicals and visits to local hospitals.
ELECE764: PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT
½ unit
TERM 2
Course Organiser: Professor David Delpy
The course provides an in-depth understanding of the theory and practice of transducers and monitoring techniques in physiology and medicine, and covers most of the commonly used methods in medical practice with the exception of those derived from imaging and radionuclide methods. Topics include blood pressure sensing, gait analysis, temperature measurement, respiratory monitoring, optical sensing methods in oximetry and blood flow, and blood analysis.
Contact Information
Prospective students requiring more information are invited to contact the Admissions Tutor, and/or visit the department's extensive website at the following address:
Department Home Page:
Intercalated Degree Page:
The Admissions Tutor will also be happy to arrange for prospective students to talk to intercalated students currently studying on this programme.
Contact: Professor Jem Hebden
Intercalated Student Admissions Tutor
Address: Department of Medical Physics & Bioengineering
University College London
First floor, Shropshire House
11-20 Capper Street
London, WC1E 6JA.
Phone: 020-7679-6416 or 6262
Fax: 020-7679-6269
Email: jem@medphys.ucl.ac.uk
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
with basic medical and clinical sciences
Course established in 1992 and reviewed in 2003
AIMS:
This programme is designed to take advantage of new developments in molecular and cellular biology and their applications to clinical medicine. The student will obtain “hands on” experience of the latest laboratory techniques and their applications to clinical and basic research problems in molecular medicine (Genetics, cardiovascular, molecular endocrinology, reproduction and oncology). Clinical medicine is changing and in the future treatment will be tailored to the needs of the individual based on our knowledge of the molecules and their function. This programme provides the basis of molecules to disease approach of the future. This programme is for the new generation of medical students who want to understand the cutting edge of molecular biology relevant to understanding of health and disease in clinical practice.
OBJECTIVES:
Students at the end of this programme should have acquired knowledge and understanding of the major areas of molecular biology that we consider to be 'core' ; namely: recombinant DNA technology; gene expression (prokaryotes and eukaryotes); control of physiological processes at the molecular level; endocrine regulation; application of this knowledge to the understanding of molecular basis of health & disease (Reproduction, Endocrine, Cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative) taking into account the role of genetics and environment; acquired the skill of expressing this knowledge cogently in essay form; mastered general molecular biological practical techniques and be familiar with their application and limitations; further developed their transferable skills; extended their knowledge of selected areas of molecular medicine to the level presented in scientific papers and reviews, with particular emphasis on critical evaluation of the experimental basis of current ideas and models; learned how to analyse, appreciate and interpret scientific literature; learned the principles of experimental design and execution using current research methods in the environment of an active research laboratory headed by a leading scientist in the field and/or in practical classes; had the experience of writing an in-depth dissertation; learned how to make oral and visual presentation of experimental findings and scientific knowledge; acquired the study skills necessary for life-long learning.
STRUCTURE:
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, GENES TO DISEASE, MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, MOLECULAR & CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY, MOLECULAR ADVANCES IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE. IN ADDITION LITERATURE BASED AND LABORATORY BASED PROJECTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS TO CARRY OUT ON A TOPIC OF THEIR CHOICE, SUPERVISED BY AN ACADEMIC STAFF.
Students are expected to take 4 course units (CU).
Molecular Biology for medical professionals (1CU ) is compulsory and core.
Further 3 units are to be taken from the following modules on offer.
GENES TO DISEASE ½ unit
MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE ½ unit
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY ½ unit
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY ½ unit
MOLECULAR ADVANCES IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE ½ unit
LITERATURE REVIEW ½ unit
RESEARCH PROJECT 1 unit
It is expected that the students will carry out either a literature review project (½ unit) or a laboratory based research project (1 unit) as one of the options.
BIOCMM07: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
1 unit
BLOCK 1
Course Co-ordinator: Dr SKS SRAI: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
This module focuses on the molecular biology that is fundamental to our understanding of role of molecules to medicine, both in health and disease and forms the basis of laboratory techniques essential to future research. In this module we lay the foundation for the relationship of human genome to molecules that are the basis of the understanding of health and disease. We start with human genome, structure and expression of genes, leading to protein structure and function. The aim is to demystify the language of molecular biology so it is relevant to a practicing clinician in this millennium. This module also reviews the advances in molecular biotechnologies that have contributed so much to our molecular understanding and development of drugs for treatment of diseases. Integrate the importance of gene cloning in research, DNA purification from cells, introduction of DNA into living cells, construction of a genomic library/shelf, screening for the gene of interest, enrichment of gene libraries for rare transcripts, expression-cloning of mRNA, Choice of vector, use of non-bacterial vectors, Study of cloned genes, Production of therapeutic recombinant proteins from cloned gene, Structure-function analysis of proteins, Recombinant DNA techniques and application to diagnosis. Current and advanced molecular techniques for studying gene function. Gene therapy and clinical applications of gene therapy. Introduce students to application of bio-informatics to molecular medicine, gene library resources and human genome project, This module also covers principles of scientific methods. organisation of research and funding, writing a scientific paper, library data retrieval systems, oral presentation of scientific data and epidemiology and statistics, computing fundamentals, statistical analysis programs, computer graphics systems
BIOCMM08: GENES TO DISEASE
½ unit
BLOCK 2 (weeks 7, 8 & 9)
Course Co-ordinator: Dr SKS SRAI: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
This module will focus on understanding of the ways in which genetic disorder are transmitted through generations, and the implications of the different patterns of inheritance. This is where molecule to disease concept will germinate. To explain how different types of mutation can be detected, and consider mechanism by which mutations cause inherited diseases. To provide an overview of linkage analysis and show how it is used in mapping a disease or susceptibility gene, for subsequent isolation by positional cloning (Haemochromatosis). Genetics and ethics are also considered. Clinical presentation of patients with mitochondrial, disorders (myopathies, neurodegeneration). The biochemistry and molecular biology of mitochondrial, abnormalities in neurodegenerative disorders. Molecular and genetic basis of common neurodegenerative disease (Dystonia, Motor Neuron diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, Hereditary spastic paraplegias, Parkinson’s disease, Prion disease, hereditary peripheral neuropathies, Huntingtons disease and CAG repeat disorders) both from the molecular and clinical perspective. Students are also introduced to genetics of polygenic diseases.
BIOCMM09: MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
½ unit
BLOCK 2 (weeks 10, 11 & 12)
Course Co-ordinator: Professor KR Bruckdorfer: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
This module will focus on the development of cardiovascular disease and its causes. The molecular basis of hyperlipidaemias. Transgenic model and gene therapy strategies for hyperlipidaemia. Molecular and cellular aspect of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Gene therapy and treatment of vascular disease. The endothelium and cardiovascular disease. Understanding the role of free radicals and oxidation in patho-physiology and the role of antioxidants in prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of nitric oxide in health and patho-physiology of cardiovascular disease. Molecular aspects of haemostasis and thrombosis will be covered in detail. Role of diet, obesity and diabetes in cardiovascular disease will be related to both environmental and genetic factors. A scientific approach to vascular surgery and reperfusion injury will be introduced.
RFHMMM05: MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
½ unit
BLOCK 3 (weels 13, 14 & 15)
Course Co-ordinator: Dr SKS SRAI: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
This module focuses the on mechanism of cancer and the cutting edge in its treatment. It focuses on the regulation of cell proliferation, DNA damage and repair, Aberrant growth regulatory mechanisms in malignant cells, Oncogenes related to guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, Inherited cancers; the genetics of tumour suppressor genes, The biochemistry of tumour suppressor gene-encoded proteins, Chromosomal translocations in cancer, Metastasis and adhesion molecules; angiogenesis, colorectal cancer as a model of tumour progression, The regulation of normal haemopoiesis and haematological malignancies. The origins of epithelial tumours, tumour measurement and location; markers and imaging, An overview of systemic cancer therapy, Cytotoxic drug therapy and drug resistance, Targeted and cytokine therapy in solid tumours, Hormone-dependent tumours and hormonal therapy, Mechanisms of cure in leukaemia, Cancer prevention. There is a major emphasis on the understanding of the immune system and its role in HLA/antigen and alloantigen recognition, immune deficiency and immune reconstitution. This is related to clinical application of bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy: also BMT, donor lymphocyte infusions, dendritic cells and natural killer cells. This module also covers tumour immunology.
BIOCC044: MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY 2003/04
½ unit
BLOCK 3 (weeks 16, 17 & 18)
Course coordinator: Dr AE Michael: Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The C044 ½ course unit focuses on molecular and cellular advances in our understanding of hormone synthesis, secretion and action. Specifically, advances in the understanding of the cellular basis of endocrine disorders will be illustrated, as will implications for the future management of endocrine diseases.
Whether they kill us or not, endocrine disorders are a major cause of human disease - and potentially among the most treatable. The metabolic aspects of hormone action and dysfunction have been known for many years - only over the last decade have we begun to understand the mechanisms involved at a molecular level. The C044 course will relate the whole body (physiological) aspects of endocrine disorders with what we are now discovering about the mechanisms of action of hormones.
Dr Marshall will introduce each aspect of this section of the course, while Professor Shepherd will discuss some of the molecular genetic probes of disease that are becoming important in diagnosis. He will also discuss recent exciting developments in our understanding of the commonest, but hitherto least well understood problem of endocrine disease - diabetes, which affects up to 7% of the population. Drs Marshall, Michael and Rumsby will concentrate on disorders of steroid hormone biochemistry (including problems of sexual differentiation), in addition to which they will consider disorders of growth, thyroid function, and salt-water balance. Dr Bender will discuss functional interactions between vitamins and hormones, while Dr Arnett will outline calcium homeostasis and a key problem in the elderly – osteoporosis.
Comprehensive coverage of all endocrine axes/systems in a ½ course unit would be unrealistic. Therefore, the course focuses on selected examples which serve to compare and contrast the synthesis and actions of hydrophobic hormones (adrenal corticosteroids and thyroid hormones) with the cellular endocrinology of peptide and protein hormones (such as leptin, insulin, growth hormone, and TSH).
C044 includes coverage of the endocrine control of sexual differentiation as it relates to intersex disorders associated with adrenal dysfunction and defects in pre-receptor steroid metabolism. However, “reproductive endocrinology” will be largely excluded from the course since this topic is covered in a different ½ course unit: “Biochemistry MM10: Molecular Advances in Reproductive Medicine”. This ½ course unit (also at C course level) may be of interest to students enrolled for C044, but also includes coverage of non-endocrine aspects of reproductive biology (such as fertilisation, embryo implantation, gynaecological malignancies, advances in assisted reproduction and environmental impacts on fertility). Students should also note that the material covered in C044 is a component of the whole course unit “Biochemistry C41: Biochemistry of Health and Disease”. Students enrolled for C044 are welcome to attend any of the lectures on the main C41 timetable.
BIOCMM10: MOLECULAR ADVANCES IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE
½ unit
BLOCK 4 (weeks 19, 20 & 21)
Course co-ordinator: Dr AE Michael: Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The MM10 ½ course unit focuses on molecular and cellular advances in our understanding of various aspects of reproduction from the genetic basis of sexual differentiation through to the latest advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Specifically, advances in the understanding of the cellular basis of reproduction will be illustrated, as will implications for the future management of sub-fertility and other disorders of reproduction.
Although rarely fatal, clinical disorders of reproduction can have major impacts on the quality of life for affected individuals. At one extreme, disorders of steroid biosynthesis or action can result in a mismatch between the physical gender and sexual identity/orientation, with profound psychological consequences. Alternatively, reproductive defects that compromise potency or fertility can have major impacts on self-esteem and other aspects of mental health. Over the last decade, there have been major advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis for a range of reproductive processes. The MM10 course will relate the anatomy, biochemistry and physiology of reproduction to these recent molecular and cellular discoveries.
Much of this course will be delivered by Dr Michael who will discuss such diverse topics as hypothalamo-pituitary function, hormonal control of gonadal steroid biosynthesis, ovulation, control of the corpus luteum, pre-term labour, and syndromes of infertility (including environmental impacts on fertility). Dr Abayasekara will deliver a series of specialist lectures on testicular function, the menstrual cycle and the feto-placental unit. Dr Conway will discuss the clinical impact of mutant gonadotrophin receptors and the molecular genetics of sexual differentiation. Dr Harper will consider early embryo development and implantation, and will also discuss recent advances in ART. The course also includes a series of specialist lectures: Dr Carroll will discuss the control of meiosis in germ cells; Dr Swann will discuss genetic and cell signalling aspects of fertilisation; Dr Thurston will introduce molecular analysis of semen in relation to cryopreservation; Dr Perrett will consider molecular aspects of gynaecological malignancies.
Students who feel that their understanding of endocrine axes is too superficial to appreciate molecular aspects of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axes or of the feto-placental endocrine unit may benefit from attending the sister ½ course unit: “Biochemistry C044: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology” which immediately precedes the MM10 ½ course unit.
LITERATURE REVIEW
½ unit
Course Co-ordinator: Dr SKS SRAI: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The library based project will provide the students with an understanding of how to conduct a literature review on an allocated topic on molecular medicine with guidance from the course tutor. List of projects to be provided in the first block
RESEARCH PROJECT
1 unit
Course Co-ordinator: Dr SKS SRAI: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The laboratory based research project will provide the student with an understanding of how to apply molecular biology techniques to the study of important molecular mechanisms involved in genetic, oncology, reproduction, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The student will be able to choose from a range of projects covering many different aspects of the taught course. List of projects to be provided in the first block.
ASSESSMENT
All course units apart from Research Project and literature review course units are assessed by a written paper accounting for 70-80% of the marks and in-course assessment component accounting for 20-30%.
The research project course unit has no final examination. Assessment is based on laboratory performance, seminar and on the research project report.
The literature review will be assessed solely on the written report. All students are expected to give an oral presentation of their project.
The progress of the students is followed by the Departmental Programme tutor and in addition, students have a Personal tutor who can provide help and advice if and when required.
For general information refer to Departmental Student Guide.
Head of Molecular Medicine Degree Programme and Tutor to Molecular Medicine students.
Dr SKS SRAI
Reader in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
(Royal Free Campus) Room 2.616
020 7830 2453
or
020 7794 0500 X 4942
email: ksrai@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
Co-organiser of the Degree Programme: Professor KR Bruckdorfer
Email: bruckd@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
NEUROSCIENCE
The Neuroscience Intercalated BSc is an interdepartmental programme that allows students to follow courses and projects in the Departments of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Biology, Psychology and in the Institutes of Ophthalmology, Neurology and Child Health.
Students take 2½ units of taught courses selected from the list below. In addition, an experimental research project (1½ units) is arranged by the student with a supervisor of their choice in one of the departments or institutes The format for the project varies between departments, some confining the project to a short, intensive period, while others have students become a member of the chosen laboratory for much of the year.
ANATC018: NEURAL BASIS OF LEARNING & MOTIVATION
½ unit (Professor J O'KEEFE)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 30
BLOCK 2
TUESDAY & THURSDAY 9:00 – 12:00
Assessment: 1 essay (25%), one 3 hour exam (75%)
The programme is centred around the neural structures traditionally described as the limbic system: hypothalamus, amygdala, septum and hippocampus and their role in normal and pathological function. The first half of the course consists of a set of lectures on the anatomy, physiology and role in behaviour of these structures, and the second half is devoted to student-led debates on topics surrounding a group of psychiatric disorders and their relation to the limbic system.
ANATC025a: ADVANCED NEUROANATOMY
½ unit (Professor J PARNAVELAS)
Pre-requisites: BIOLB021, ANATB009, or MBBS Neuroanatomy
Number limit: 30
BLOCK 1
MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
This course is intended to provide a presentation of the structural organisation of the mammalian central nervous system together with some understanding of their functional and clinical significance. In the first part of the course, through a series of lectures and tutorials, the students are acquainted with the general organisation of the nervous system, its cytology, and some fundamental techniques. The second and larger part is devoted to the cytology, synaptic organisation, and chemical composition of individual areas of the nervous system. Selected areas, not covered in equivalent depth, include: the spinal cord, thalamus, cerebellum and motor systems, basal ganglia, retina, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, development of the nervous system, neurodegenerative disorders.
ANATC029/C029a: THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
½ unit (Professor S W DAVIES)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience, or ANATC025a
Number limit: 80
BLOCK 3
FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00 & 1:00 – 3:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%) + 6000 word dissertation (full unit only)
This course will focus on the cellular and molecular biology of Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone disease, with the main emphasis on the mechanisms leading to cell death. A combination of lectures and video presentations will cover topics including: endogenous and exogenous excitotoxins, molecular genetics of HD, AD, ALS, developmentally-regulated cell death, growth factors in the development and maintenance of CNS neurones, cell biology of the neuronal response to injury, transplantation strategies for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
ANATC030: CELLULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
1 unit (Dr J CLARKE)
Pre-requisites: Pre-clinical neurobiology or BIOLB021 or BIOLB250 or ANATB008 or ANATB009
Number limit: 50
BLOCKS 1 - 4
TUESDAY 4:00 – 6:15
Assessment: 1 in-course essay (25%), of 2000 – 2500 words, one 3 hour exam (75%)
This course presents a survey of selected topics of current interest and importance in cellular and molecular aspects of developmental neurobiology. Numerous lecturers both from UCL and other institutions contribute to the course. Content varies and is updated from year to year but topics likely to be covered are: neural induction and patterning; generation of cell diversity; cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; neuronal growth factors; coursed cell death; growth cones; neurite outgrowth; neuronal migration; development of excitability; neuron-glia interactions; myelination; synaptogenesis; injury and repair in central and peripheral nervous systems. Along with lectures, the course contains small-group, student-led discussion/tutorial sessions.
ANATC031: CONTROL OF MOVEMENT
½ unit (Dr C YEO)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 20
BLOCK 4
WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
The course begins by considering the anatomy and physiology of essential components of the motor system; muscles and the motor unit; propioception; spinal integration; ascending and descending pathways in the spinal cord; motor cortex; basal ganglia and cerebellum. The integrated action of these systems in locomotion, voluntary movements and eye movements is considered. The course concludes with analyses of motor learning and modelling of motor control.
ANATC033 or ANATC033a: THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
1 unit or ½ unit (Dr J LINCOLN/Dr C HOYLE)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 20 for full unit (C033); no limit for C033a
BLOCK 1
THURSDAY 11:00 – 13:00
FRIDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: ½ unit – One 3 hr exam (100%) plus in-course essay around 2000 words (completion mandatory); Full Unit – additionally, a library project of about 6000.
The course has been designed to provide an overview of the structure, organisation and physiology of peripheral nerves. Details of peripheral sensory mechanisms and the nervous control of visceral organs, the cardiovascular system and skeletal muscle will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the changes that occur during development and in disease. Lectures will be given by people active in research in this field and will aim to provide insight into current developments and their implications for clinical therapy. For the full unit a library project will also be undertaken. The course will consist of lectures and tutorials.
ANATC041: NEURAL COMPUTATION: MODELS OF BRAIN FUNCTION
½ unit (Dr N BURGESS)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 30
BLOCK 3
TUESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
THURSDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: One course essay (2000 words) (10%), one 3 hour exam (90%)
The course considers how we can analyse an animal’s ability to learn, remember or act in terms of the action of neurons and synapses within the animal’s nervous system. Put another way, it considers the how the bahaviour of neurons and synapses conspires to enable the animal to perform useful behaviours. The course explains several examples of how specific parts of the central nervous system (e.g. hippocampus, colliculus, the posterior parietal, cerebellar and prefrontal cortices, spinal interneurons) contribute to the learning, memory or behaviour of an organism.
ANATC042: PAIN
½ unit (Professor S P HUNT)
Pre-requisites: ANATB009 and PHOLB011; or BIOLB021 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 80
BLOCK 4
TUESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
FRIDAY 13:00 – 15:00
Assessment: One essay (20%), one 3 hour exam (80%)
This course aims to present an integrated approach to pain. Through a series of 18 lectures students will be presented with information about the basic mechanisms of pain and its clinical manifestations. Students will also be introduced to current ideas about therapy and management and to the problems inherent in measurements of pain. Seminars based on reading topics will be held during the course.
ANATC043: BIOLOGICAL TIMING
½ unit (Dr D WHITMORE)
Pre-requisites: None
Number limit: 30
BLOCK 2
TUESDAY 14:00 – 16:00
WEDNESDAY 9:00 – 11:00
Assessment: One 3 hour exam (100%)
The aim of this course is to examine the importance of time, and oscillations, in a range of biological problems. The central theme will be the circadian or daily clock. We will look at what is currently known about the clock mechanisms (what makes the clock 'tick') in a range of animal systems, from Drosophila to the mouse. This will include the genetic-molecular aspects of the clock, as well as some biochemistry and neurobiology. We will also examine how the clock regulates physiological events, such as seasonal reproduction, and human sleep-activity rhythms. The importance of light and the retina in setting the clock will be discussed (Prof Russell Foster, Imperial).
The course will then go on to examine a range of other biological timing events, such as the somite clock in embryology (Prof Julian Lewis, Cancer Research UK), rapid biochemical oscillations (Dr Swann), oscillations in the brain (Prof John O'Keefe) and some basic mathematical aspects of oscillations (Prof Lewis Wolpert). The relevance of time, from seconds to years, and how these oscillations influence cells and animals will be discussed.
ANATC044: NEUROBIOLOGY OF VISION
½ unit (Professor Andrew Stockman, Institute of Ophthalmology)
Pre-requisites: ANAT B009 and PHOLB011; or BIOLB021 or MBBS Neuroscience
Number limit: 30
BLOCK 4
MONDAY 11:00 – 13:00, Demonstrations 14:00 – 16:00
TUESDAY 14:00 – 16:00
THURSDAY 11:00 – 13:00
Assessment: Two essays (9% each), presentation (7%), 3 hour exam (75%)
This course is run by the Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology in collaboration with the Physiology and Psychology Departments and the Institute of Opthalmology. The course will treat the neurobiology of vision as an integrated subject. It will cover the physiology of cells in the retina and central visual pathways, and shows how the cells' properties underlie the spatio-temporal processing carried out by the visual system as revealed by psychophysical experiments.
ANATC101: ADVANCED CELL BIOLOGY
½ unit (Dr K SWANN)
Pre-requisites: BIOLB100 Cellular and Molecular Biology or MBBS Years 1 & 2
Number limit: 50
BLOCK 1
MONDAY - FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Assessment: 3 hour exam (100%)
This course will introduce students to selected topics in current research in cell biology. There will be an emphasis upon looking at the dynamics of living cells. Topics covered will include phospholipid and calcium signaling, gene regulation, endocytosis and exocytosis, the cell cycle, mitochondria, proteolysis, and the role of cytoskeleton in cell motility. Some lectures will also be included to explain the use of bioinformatics and modern imaging techniques as applied to cell biology. Most of the course consists of a series of lectures where each lecturer will introduce an area and then discuss original research data. This course unit is self-contented but also provides a suitable background for C102 (Cell Dynamics and Function, ½ unit), which is run by the Physiology Department.
ANATC03a: MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT
½ unit (Professor C STERN)
Pre-requisites: BIOLB250 or ANATB008 or MBBS Years 1 & 2
Number limit: 50
BLOCK 1 - 4
MONDAYS 2:00 – 4:00
Assessment: 3 hour exam (100%)
This course will consider the cellular and molecular events which underlie animal development and cell differentiation, drawing on examples of a range of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. Topics to be covered include maternal, gap and pair-rule genes, imaginal disks and signalling pathways, gastrulation, hindbrain and PNS patterning, limb development and regeneration, neural induction and aspects of development in the human adult.
The course aims to bring the students’ knowledge and understanding of developmental biology to the level of current research. The objective, to be achieved through lectures and reading of research papers, is to examine the mechanisms of development through a detailed study of the experimental evidence. For students with particular interests in developmental biology, the course AnatC3b provides practical experience of the four model systems described in the lectures. The course is designed to run concurrently with the lectures in C03a. See the C03b description for details:
NB: based on past years’ experience, it is strongly recommended that students take both C03a and C03b (which will give a full unit course). The practicals are an opportunity to see in real life the systems on which the lectures are based, and they therefore complement the lecture course particularly well. Furthermore it means one exam paper less to sit and the acquired knowledge is likely to strengthen your performance in the written paper.
ANAT C03b: MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT (PRACTICALS)
½ unit (Professor C STERN)
Pre-requisites: ANATC03a
Number limit: 24 (core course for Anatomy students who will be given priority)
BLOCK 1 & 2
4 THURSDAYS 2:00 – 5:00
4 FRIDAYS 2:00 – 3:00
Assessment: 4 practical write-ups (successful completion of ANATC03a a co-requisite)
This course complements ANATC03a, and is comprised of 4 practicals. The practicals will be arranged around the four animal models studied (Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, chick). The course will allow students with a strong interest in developmental biology to become acquainted directly with the model systems involved, and develop practical skills useful for future careers in biomedical research.
NB: based on past years’ experience, it is strongly recommended that students take both C03a and C03b (which will give a full unit course). The practicals are an opportunity to see in real life the systems on which the lectures are based, and they therefore complement the lecture course particularly well. Furthermore it means one exam paper less to sit and the acquired knowledge is likely to strengthen your performance in the written paper.
COURSES OFFERED BY THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
BIOLC311: MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY
½ unit (Dr CJ Danpure)
Pre-requisites: BIOLB100, BIOLB201 and either BIOLB200 or BIOLB236
Number limit: 15
BLOCK 1
MONDAY 14:00 – 17:00
TUESDAY 14:00 – 17:00
WEDNESDAY 11:00 – 12:00
Assessment: Two essays (25%), 3 hour exam (75%)
The course aims to provide an up-to-date account of some of the more important areas of molecular cell biology, including some of the experimental tools used in their study. The course covers the following specialised topics in eukaryote molecular cell biology:: protein trafficking and organelle biogenesis, cell cycle control, spindle structure and dynamics, structure of the cytoskeleton and role in cellular and intracellular movement, cell signalling and sygnal transduction. Full details on:
COURSES OFFERED BY THE PHARMACOLOGY DEPARTMENT
PHARC003 or PHARC013: Neuropharmacology
1 unit or ½ unit (Professor A H Dickenson)
Pre-requisites: 2nd Year Pharmacology (PHARB013, PHARB015, Preclinical)
Number limit: 80 (100 for ½ unit)
BLOCK 2
MONDAY 10:00 – 12:00
WEDNESDAY 10:00 – 12:00
FRIDAY 10:00 – 12:00
Plus practicals for full unit course
Assessment: ½ unit: one essay (20%), 3 hour exam (80%)
Full unit: 4 practicals + 1 essay (50%), 3 hour exam (50%)
In recent years many developments, such as the use of levo dopa in Parkinsonism, the manipulation of monamines in depression and the discovery of endogenous opioids, have brought basic neuropharmacology and the successful treatment of disorders of the C.N.S. much closer together. It is likely that future prospect for drug therapy in neurology and psychiatry will depend very much on a better understanding of neurotransmitter function and manipulation. This neuropharmacology course tries to provide a basis for such an understanding. The evidence for different transmitters (from morphological, electrophysiological, pharmacological and biochemical studies) is evaluated so as to build up a picture of their pre- and post-synaptic actions and their interactions in specific pathways and brain areas. This knowledge is then applied to a consideration of various disease states and drug action. Special emphasis is given to neurotransmitter function and malfunction in epilepsy, Parkinsonism, memory, cell death and pain and states and to the mode of action of drugs in these conditions. Students attend a comprehensive series of lectures given by experts in the field.
PHARC021: MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY
½ unit (Dr A J Gibb)
Pre-requisites: 2nd Year Pharmacology, PHARB015, MBBS years 1 and 2
Number limit: 95
BLOCK 1
EVERY DAY FOR FIRST 3 WEEKS OF TERM 1 (2 PRACTICALS, DATE DEPENDANT ON GROUP)
Assessment: Coursework (25%) Exam (75%)
The course aims to give students an understanding of the quantitative principles which underlie the study of the action of drugs at receptors, beginning with the physical chemical principles which underlie the drug-receptor interaction. The course studies the molecular nature of receptors and encourages a critical and quantitative approach to the analysis and interpretation of pharmacological data. This course provides core information for BSc Pharmacology and BSc Medicinal Chemistry students and supplements existing course unit options for final year students in related degree courses in the Faculty of Life Sciences.
PHARC022: RECEPTOR MECHANISMS
½ unit (Dr A J Gibb)
Pre-requisites: PHARC021
Number limit: 50
BLOCK 1
EVERY DAY FOR 4TH – 6TH WEEK OF TERM 1
Assessment: Essay, ................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related searches
- why online degrees are bad
- why are college degrees important
- illinois state university degrees offered
- online degrees in cannabis
- degrees in strategy
- university of illinois degrees offered
- projects for bsc computer science
- bsc 2nd year syllabus
- bsc computer science project topics
- decimal degrees to degrees minutes seconds
- bsc computer science up
- bsc computer science jobs