Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Code
11207
Academic unit
Nova Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Department
TRA - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Credits
3
Teacher in charge
Prof. Doutor Miguel Seabra
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
The teaching unit of Molecular Mechanism of Disease intends to integrate the know-how in molecular mechanism of disease with clinical practice. This will promote the interest in translational and clinical research and expand the frontiers of biological scientific knowledge.
The lectures are descriptive and students have to understand and debate the molecular mechanisms underlying each subject. In the practical classes the students form groups and are encouraged to explore one molecular mechanism of a disease, for that they have to be able to find a valid scientific question. At the end of the semester each group will orally present their project. We intent that students apply the knowledge acquired, acquire scientific criticism and discussion and gain the know-how to look for adequate scientific literature.
This teaching unit will allow the students to acquire several skills like: expertise in molecular mechanisms associated with more frequent chronic diseases and translation to clinical practice; acquire the capacity of analyse and orally present of scientific subjects and use the appropriate English language.
Prerequisites
Subject matter
Research in Medicine
Aging and Age-related Diseases
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Diabetes
Chronic Inflammation
Oncobiology
Rare Diseases
New Therapies
Bibliography
Robbins and Cotran. Pathologic basis of disease. 9th edition, Elsevier
Jeannette Naish and Denise Syndercombe Court. Medical sciences. 2nd edition Elsevier
Neville Woolf. Cell, Tissue and disease: the basis of pathology. 3th edition W. B. Saunderes.
MacDonald IM, Hume S, Chan S, et al. Choroideremia. 2003 Feb 21 [Updated 2015 Feb 26]. In: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Ardinger HH, et al., editors. GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2015. Available from:
- Orphanet (
- NORD (https://rarediseases.org/)
- EURORDIS (
Mendelsohn, Gray, Howley, Israel and Thompsom. The Molecular Basis of Cancer. 4th Edition. Elsevier, saunders.
Teaching method
Theoretical lectures are expository with 50 min duration and will occur during the first 6 weeks. Next 6 weeks, the students have the tutorial lessons. Each class will have a maximum of 4 groups with 4 students each. Each group have to choose a specific subject, find an appropriate scientific question matching a molecular mechanism of a disease and design a research project. During these tutorial lessons students are guided in order to find the scientific question and research project design. At the 6th week of these classes each group have 15 min to oral present the research project after will have 5 min of discussion. At the end of this class the best work in each subject is chosen to be presented in the final workshop.
Evaluation method
The evaluation of this curricular unit is continuous and does not have a final exam
Assessment components:
Regular assessment I: During the first 5 weeks of tutorial classes the students have a quiz (1 to 5 questions) about a pre-announced subject. The questions are in the analysis form. The attendance is very important and if a student misses a quiz they will score zero.
However this is the first year of this type of evaluation so, 20% of the lowest score of each student is eliminated and for the final grade we will score the mean of the 80% of the best score.
Continuous assessment: Each student will be evaluated by its performance and contribution for the final project research. This assessment component is individual.
Regular assessment II: At the 6th tutorial lesion, the project abstract of each group, with a maximum of 250 words, and the project oral presentation are evaluated. The ones selected for the final workshop, will be evaluated in the last tutorial class.
Final score and relative weight of the 3 components:
The assessment is quantitative from 0 to 20 values. With a score above 9,5 the student is approved, and below that value fail it.
The student must have a minimum score of 9,5 values in each assessment component.
Relative weight of each assessment component for the students selected for the final workshop:
Regular assessment I 25%
Continuous assessment 10%
Regular assessment II 65%
Relative weight of each assessment component for the students not selected for the final workshop:
Regular assessment I 25%
Continuous assessment 25%
Regular assessment II 50%
All students who do not comply with the minimum requirements of evaluation named described above, all students with special statute and other eligible for the special period and retained students with a valid attendance (one school year) or the ones who wish to improve their grades, will be subject to an Oral Exam.