BMB531: Human Diseases
Study Board of Science
Teaching language: Danish or English depending on the teacher
EKA: N200026112, N200026102
Assessment: Second examiner: None, Second examiner: External
Grading: Pass/Fail, 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Spring
Level: Bachelor
STADS ID (UVA): N200026101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 31-10-2022
Duration: 1 semester
Version: Approved - active
Comment
Entry requirements
Academic preconditions
Students taking the course are expected to:
- Have acquired basic knowledge from BMB544, and from other first-year courses.
- Be able to use a computer.
Course introduction
The goal of this course is to strengthen the specific academic profile of the students and their identity as students of BMB and biomedicine. Furthermore it is the goal of the course to illustrate the necessity of achieving basic competences in other scientific disciplines taught at the first year of their study. More specifically three different human disease-types are studied in the course. The disease types are: inborn errors of metabolism, cancer and multifactorial diseases. The study of each of the three diseases provides unique opportunities to exemplify, expand and set into perspective and context different aspects of the basic scientific skills acquired in for instance the FF503 course. This course establishes a logical connection between the 1st and second year of the bachelor education by including and expanding specific skills and knowledge from the disciplines of basic natural science, when acquiring competences in biomedicine and molecular biology. Specifically this course builds upon skills and knowledge from the courses BMB544 and BMB500, and provides a scientific basis for studying Biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics in later courses.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:
- The course should strengthen the knowledge and skills in the basic disciplines of natural sciences.
- The course focuses on providing insight into the fundamentals of molecular biology and biomedicine.
- The course develops and strengthens the student’s basic knowledge in the field of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics and biomedicine by shedding light on basic mechanisms in development of disease in humans.
Expected learning outcome
The learning objective of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:
- Describe specific biochemical and metabolic processes and understand how they can be disrupted in metabolic diseases.
- Recognize the basic modes of inheritance, and draw pedigrees of affected families.
- Describe the cell-cycle, its components and how this scan be disturbed in cancerous diseases.
- Describe the most prominent hallmarks of cancer.
- Searching and employing databases of scientific literature.
- To analyze gene-sequences, effects of mutations, the mutational spectrum of diseases, to identify recognition sequences for restriction enzymes and finally to identify and analyze reference sequences for human disease genes.
- Perform basic web-based bioinformatic analyses.
- To write assignments where a selected disease is problematized and the involved disease mechanisms are described at the level of molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry employing correct scientific terms and references to scientific literature.
Content
The following main topics are contained in the course:
- Metabolism
- The cell as a living entity, including the eukaryotic cell cycle
- Genetics
- Physiology
- Biomolecular chemistry and molecular biology
- Additionally, relevant competences in mathematics, chemistry and physics are included when relevant.
Literature
Examination regulations
Exam element a)
Timing
Spring
Tests
Written assignments
EKA
N200026112
Assessment
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Full name and SDU username
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Examination aids
To be announced during the course
ECTS value
3
Exam element b)
Timing
June
Tests
Written examn
EKA
N200026102
Assessment
Second examiner: External
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Duration
2 hours
Examination aids
The exam is without aids. However, it is allowed to use the standard build in calculator in Windows/MAC. Furthermore, it is allowed to use "ordbogsprogrammet" (the dictionary programme) from http://www.ordbogen.com/ in electronic form provided this has been downloaded and installed before the start of the exam. The browser version is not allowed.
Internet is not allowed during the exam. However, you may the course site in itslearning in connection with filling out the multiple-choice questions.
ECTS value
2
Additional information
The exam is conducted as a multiple choice test.
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
Teaching activities result in an estimated indicative distribution of the work effort of an average student in the following way:
- Intro phase (lecture) - Number of hours: 13
- Training phase: Number of hours: 16
- Study phase: Number of hours: 80
The intro-phase consists of lectures, which gives a basic introduction to the three themes, exemplified by three different disease types: inherited metabolic disease, cancer and infectious disease. In all three diseases there is particular emphasis in the lectures to also illustrate and exemplify subjects and themes from the other first-year courses, FF503, mathematics, physics and FF500. In the training phase competences and skills in the central and basic subjects of the course are trained by completing assignments. There is a specific focus on achieving skills for searching and analyzing disease databases, mutation databases, Genebanks and other types of databases, as well as using databases of scientific literature (PubMed). Additionally focus is on obtaining skills in using web-based analysis tools for identification of restriction-enzyme recognition sequences, analyzing and visualizing protein structures, homology searches, analyses of mutational effects. The examinatoriums requires that the student prior to attending have worked with the assignments either alone or in self-established study-groups. The study-phase thus consists both in preparing for the intro-phase and for the examinatoriums. The students are expected to study (read and analyze) different texts, such as textbook chapters, websides with scientific content and scientific papers (mainly review papers) in order to achieve the required competences and the overview of the field. A large and important part of the study-phase consists in writing two obligatory assignments, where the student is expected to demonstrate skills obtained in the examinatoriums.
Activities in the study phase:
Activities in the study phase:
- To read and study textbook chapters, scientific articles and websites/databases in order to prepare for the lectures, examinatoriums and the obligatory assignments.
- To prepare for the assignments in the examinatoriums by reading texts, study databases and use analysis programs to answer the assignments.
- To write two obligatory assignments.
Teacher responsible
| Name | Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Brage Storstein Andresen | bragea@bmb.sdu.dk | Institut for Biokemi og Molekylær Biologi |
Additional teachers
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Guerra | bag@bmb.sdu.dk | Institut for Biokemi og Molekylær Biologi | |
| Jan-Wilhelm Kornfeld | janwilhelmkornfeld@bmb.sdu.dk | Institut for Biokemi og Molekylær Biologi |
Timetable
Administrative Unit
Team at Educational Law & Registration
Offered in
Recommended course of study
Transition rules
Transitional arrangements describe how a course replaces another course when changes are made to the course of study.
If a transitional arrangement has been made for a course, it will be stated in the list.
See transitional arrangements for all courses at the Faculty of Science.