Module: Laboratory Techniques in Biomedical Diagnostics & Therapeutics

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Laboratory Techniques in Biomedical Diagnostics & Therapeutics
Module Code	BE553 (ITS) / BIO1029 (Banner)
Faculty	Science & Health	School	Biotechnology
Module Co-ordinator	Jianghui Meng
Module Teachers	Denise Harold, Michael Freeley, Naomi Walsh, Paul Cahill
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

None

Description

Module Aims: The purpose of this module is to prepare the students in practical laboratory techniques that are relevant to investigating biomarkers of disease. The students will develop a good understanding of the theory and practice of a number of practical techniques including understanding how to perform basic techniques in animal cell culture and cell viability assays, ELISA, Flow cytometry and qPCR. The student will develop a good understanding of the theory and practice of the biomedical techniques and be able to critically analyse and interpret data to identify novel biomarkers in diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases.

Learning Outcomes

1. To understand the theory and practice of the following practical techniques: 1. Animal Cell Culture, 2. Cell Viability Assays, 3. ELISA, 4. Flow cytometry and 5. PCR
2. The student will be able to critically analyse data and present this data in a professional manner.
3. The student will be able to write short report in the style required by a scientific journal.
4. The student will evaluate and critique published research data in order to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of flow cytometry and in order to write the short reports.
5. The student will design experimental protocols to identify novel biomarkers in diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammatory disorders.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	4	There will be 6 online lectures that will be no more than 30-45 minutes in duration. Some lectures are broken down into smaller lectures/tutorials.
Online activity	2	You will be required to watch instructional videos. Each video be will be mo more that 15 minutes in duration.
Tutorial	7	There will be 5 tutorials each lasting 60-90 minutes
Online activity	2	You must complete 2 online quizzes. You will be given 1 hour to complete each quiz online.
Directed learning	45	You will be required to read at least 20 research papers (or technical manuals) to prepare you for each task (quiz or assignment). It is estimated that you will spend 2-3 hours per paper in order to read, critique and make relevant notes.
Assignment Completion	65	You have 4 assignments in total where on average you should spend an estimated 15-20 hours to complete each assignment. Times will vary between each assignment and should reflect the percentage weighting for that assignment.
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Interactive Videos
The student is required to watch vidoes covering the five topics (animal cell culture, cell viability assays, ELISA, Flow cytometry and qPCR) in order to develop a good understanding of the theory and practice of each practical technique. Students are required to answer questions while watching each video to show evidence of their engagement with the material.

Research papers and technical manuals
The students will be provided with a list of papers and technical manuals which they must read to assist them in completing each task.

Quiz
The student must complete quizzes on cell culture and cell viability assays.

Data and assignment instructions
The student will be provided with data and written instructions on how to analyse and present the data.

Online lectures
The student must watch all online lectures.

Tutorials
The students will have a tutorial for each assignment.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Loop Quiz	The student must complete loop quiz on cell culture and viability assays.	20%	n/a
Assignment	The student must complete as second short report on ELISA data: The report will include introduction, data analysis, generation of graphs with standard deviation plus statistics, results, discussion.	20%	n/a
Research Paper	The student will be write a short synopsis on a published paper discussing the design of the flow cytometry experiments, controls and gating strategy etc.	10%	n/a
Assignment	The student must prepare and design a qPCR experiment under specific conditions. Raw sample data will be provided and a short report submitted to include introduction, data analysis, generation of graphs with standard deviation plus statistics, results, discussion	20%	n/a
Assignment	An assignment to create experimental design protocols to to identify novel biomarkers for cancer or chronic inflammatory diseases.	30%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 2

Indicative Reading List

Other Resources

None