Unit name | General Laboratory Techniques |
---|---|
Unit code | SOCSM0008 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Shukla |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Bristol Medical School |
Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
This unit will introduce theoretical aspects and practical details of laboratory methods that are highly relevant to translational cardiovascular medicine research. The following techniques will be discussed: analysis of gene function (via approaches such as siRNA gene silencing and synthetic inhibitors), gene transfer (plasmid and viral based), analysis of gene transcription (via qPCR), analysis of gene expression (via Western blotting and ELISA), immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry (light, fluorescent and confocal microscopy and quantification), cell analysis using FACS, analysis of cell proliferation, migration/invasion and apoptosis, purification and culture of several relevant cell types, detection of polymorphisms and SNPs. Apart from providing a basic introduction to laboratory research methods this unit also importantly aims to provide an overview of essential skills experimental design such as choice of negative and positive controls, and biological and experimental replicates.
Students successfully completing this module will be able to:
1. Coursework (contributing a total of 60% to the unit) consisting of:
Please note that students will be given formative feedback on all coursework assessment.
2. Written exam (contributing a total of 40% to the unit and taken in Bristol) consisting of:
The overall pass-mark for the unit will be 50%. However, students will be required to reach a minimum standard in both their coursework and their written exam; only 5% compensation between the total coursework element and the total exam element will be allowed.