The module will emphasise the features of inflammation that are common to "healthy" inflammatory responses and pathological inflammatory conditions of different tissues. As well as providing an overview of cells, cytokines and chemokines that participate in inflammation, the module will present a molecular biological perspective of signal transduction pathways and mechanisms of gene regulation that are commonly deployed in the course of inflammatory responses. A major focus will be the mechanisms that normally contribute to the limitation and/or resolution of inflammation.
The majority of lectures in this module will be delivered by academics who are engaged in cutting edge research around this topic. They will be encouraged to present unpublished and/or controversial data and ideas, so that the students learn about gaps in knowledge, areas of disagreement and future research challenges.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of fundamental processes occurring during inflammation.
Critically evaluate the current scientific literature, to develop a robust understanding of how common processes of inflammation participate in specific inflammatory diseases.
Demonstrate a level of familiarity with the signalling pathways and gene regulatory mechanisms that control expression of inflammatory mediators that will allow application to a range of immune and non-immune disease conditions.
Summarise and communicate the detailed mechanisms that control and lead to dysregulation of inflammation in health and disease.
Assessment: Coursework (100%): Course work will consist of an oral presentation on a specific immune-mediated inflammatory pathology. The length of the presentation will be limited to 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions.
Students must achieve a weighted average of 50% and must make a bona fide attempt (minimum 35%) at each assessment.
Reassessment: If a student fails the module then they will be required to repeat the presentation.
