Microbiology BSc

The aim of the module is to introduce the you to the broad based biotechnology discipline. You will study plants, animals and microbial systems and the impact and ethics of biotechnology in different sectors. An active learning approach is coupled with tutorials to understand the impact of the discipline. 

This 30 credit module will give you a solid foundation in the growth and development of cells. You will gain understanding in cellular processes and the key macromolecules. Understanding the chemistry of these macromolecules is important in many areas of bioscience.

You’ll apply your learning of basic concepts though practical sessions and workshops.

You will study:

• Mitosis, meiosis, cell division and differentiation. 
• Basic genetic principles and gene expression processes
• Areas of nucleic acid structure
• Genetic variation; mutation and repair

Through this module, you will be given perspective on how microbes interact with humans, animals, plants and other organisms.

You'll study:

• how they influence environmental processes
• how microbial products contribute to healthcare, food production, and manufacturing
• the influence of technological developments
• scientific understanding of microbes and the public perception of them

This is a 20 credit module.

This module will develop your knowledge of bacterial cell structures and growth. You'll understand the mechanisms that allow bacteria to respond to their environment. You'll study:

• how to handle data commonly used in microbiological experimentation
• basic practical methods required for all microbiological laboratory work

You'll learn through a three hour practical and four hours of lectures each week. This is a 20 credit module.

This module covers essential topics in the following scientific areas:

• physics - radiation, thermal methods, units and measurements
• chemistry - moles and atoms, organic chemistry, thermodynamics 
• mathematics - equations, functions, logs and exponentials and graphical representations
• statistics - mean, standard deviation, standard statistical tests and biases in data

This module is intended to enhance your transition into university and guide you through the academic expectations of your degree. This module includes three generic sessions on ‘study skills and plagiarism’, ‘study opportunities’ and ‘career and personal development’, and a series of small group tutorials with your academic tutor to develop core skills such as finding crucial information, oral presentation, data handling and presentation of results, preparation for examinations, and essay writing skills relevant to biosciences.

This module introduces you to a range of important human pathogens. You'll cover:

• human pathogen interactions with the immune system
• mechanisms of disease causation
• the laboratory procedures involved in diagnosis and treatment of infections

Each week you’ll spend four hours in lectures to study for this module. This is a 10 credit module.

This module will introduce you to the properties, mechanisms of resistance and clinical use of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of microbial infections. Options relating to disease prevention will be explained, and you’ll be provided with an insight into the role of the laboratory and the Public Health Laboratory Service in the diagnosis, management and control of infection in hospital and the community. During an average week, you’ll have a three hour lecture to study for this module.

This module is designed to provide an understanding of the extent of bacterial biological diversity. Following introductory lectures on bacterial taxonomy and classification and web-page design, you’ll undertake two student-centred exercises. The first will be the production of an essay on a chosen organism covering its taxonomy, biology and ecology. The second will be a group exercise to design a web site including the material collated for the essay.

The module will provide an introduction to viruses and their interactions with their hosts (bacteria, plants and animals including humans) as well as discussing the structure of viruses and their significance including pathogenesis and molecular biology. You’ll spend four hours per week in lectures studying for this module.

This module covers the major techniques required for analysis of gene expression including methods for gene sequence and transcriptional analysis. An in depth study of vectors and gene constructs provides an understanding of the different strategies used in creating mutants and identifying gene function in bacteria. As well as practical's, the coursework exercises are designed to illustrate the topics covered in the lecture course and will give students experience of experimental design and critical analysis of research data and an introduction to bioinformatics for the analysis of DNA and protein sequences.

This module provides a fundamental understanding of the microorganisms causing food-borne disease. You'll learn about the mechanisms by which they do this and their routes of transmission.

In laboratory practicals you will learn a number of core practical methods needed for the safe handling, culture, isolation, enumeration and identification of a range of level 2 pathogens.These are biological agents that can cause disease including Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria and Salmonella. 

You'll cover the core research process and data analysis skills including literature searches, data collection and processing, and statistical analysis. This will prepare you for your third year research project. Research projects are also selected during this module.

This module offers a detailed study of the core molecular processes that enable cells to function such as DNA biochemistry, gene expression, protein synthesis and degradation. You will learn about the basic molecular processes that underpin the function of eukaryotic cells and to describe how different organelles within the cell function, with an emphasis on the dynamic nature of cell biology. You will have lectures, practical classes, a poster presentation and tutorials.

In this module you will learn about the structure and function of the eukaryotic genome, including that of humans, and the approaches that have led to their understanding. You will learn about techniques that are employed to manipulate genes and genomes and how they can be applied to the field of medical genetics. By using specific disease examples, you will learn about the different type of DNA mutation that can lead to disease and how they have been identified. Practical elements will teach you about basic techniques used in medical genetics such as sub-cloning of DNA fragments into expression vectors. Practical classes and problem based learning will be used to explore the methods used for genetic engineering and genome manipulation.

You will study microbiology, learning about pathogenic microbes including viruses, fungi, parasites and the roles of bacteria in health and disease. You will learn how the body generates immunity; the causes of diseases associated with faulty immune responses will be considered. In applied microbiology you will be introduced to recombinant DNA technology and prokaryotic gene regulation.

This module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the structures of DNA and RNA and how the information within these nucleic acids is maintained and expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell types. Additionally, this module describes how nucleic acids can be manipulated in vitro using molecular biological approaches. Practical classes will focus your learning on the cloning and manipulation of DNA to express recombinant proteins in bacterial systems.

This module considers fundamental and applied aspects of cell biology and yeast physiology. A combination of lectures, practical sessions and online self-guided exercises will be used to introduce you to the subject of yeast, focusing on aspects particularly relevant for the production of foods, beverages and other fermented products.

You will gain an understanding of:

• yeast cell functionality
• including yeast cytology,
• the cell cycle
• growth and division

We will also cover yeast genomics and how this relates to yeast diversity, taxonomy and identification. Finally, practical aspects of working with yeast will be addressed, including storage and preservation strategies, quality analysis, and how yeast cultures for commercial applications can be produced and handled.

Molecular events that occur during the control of gene expression in bacteria will be explored. You'll learn by considering case studies, which will show you how complex programmes of gene action can occur in response to environmental stimuli. You will also study the regulation of genes in pathogenic bacteria.

You'll cover the key groups of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms relevant to microbial biotechnology, principles of GM, and strain improvement in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The impact of “omics”, systems biology, synthetic biology and effects of stress on industrial microorganisms are explored, alongside the activities of key microorganisms that we exploit for biotechnology.

This module considers the structure and function of soluble proteins and how individual proteins can be studied in molecular detail. More specifically you will learn about the problems associated with studying membrane-bound proteins and build an in-depth understanding of enzyme kinetics and catalysis. You will learn about the practical aspects of affinity purification, SDS PAGE, western blotting, enzyme assays, bioinformatics and molecular modelling approaches.

This module considers fundamental aspects of yeast biochemistry, metabolism and the fermentation process. A combination of lectures, practical sessions and online self-guided exercises will be used to introduce you to the subject of yeast and fermentation, focusing on aspects particularly relevant to the production of fermented beverages and related products.

You will gain an understanding of the different ways yeast can be employed for a range of applications. The specific characteristics of yeast which make this organism valuable will be described in detail, including properties, functionality, pathways and their ability to convert substrates into commercially valuable end products. The different types of industrial fermentation systems that can be employed will also be considered, along with how they can be controlled and monitored, and how yeast key performance indicators are evaluated.

You will choose and plan a research project in consultation with a supervisor, based around ongoing research in the University. You'll carry out a literature review and produce an experimental outline. You will be required to design experiments, collect, analyse and interpret the data obtained. You'll spend at least three full days per week in this year undertaking your work. Examples of recent project areas include: antimicrobial resistance, synthetic biology, immune response to virus infections, rapid detection of Mycobacteria, phage therapy, immobilised microorganisms for fermentation and improve yeast performance for high gravity fermentations.

You’ll gain an understanding of:

• micro-organisms which are important in foods
• factors which control the development of the microflora of food products
• methods which can be used to isolate and identify bacteria from food products

You’ll study over the year in both lectures and practicals.

This module gives a detailed understanding of the genetics and biochemistry behind the properties of parasites and microorganisms that cause major human diseases in the present day. You will have a three-hour lecture once per week for this module.

This module will enable you to comprehend the opportunities that protein engineering provides in applied microbiology and to appreciate some of the practical limitations associated with technology. You’ll gain a detailed understanding of prokaryotic protein expression and examples of its application to biotechnology. Practical classes and seminars will provide an insight into the necessary constraints and practicalities of experimental design and execution. The major coursework assignment introduces you to the rigour required for writing scientific papers.

This module commences with a review of microbial fermentation, including beer, cheese, yoghurt, meat and single-cell protein production, as well as sewage treatment. The underlying principles of microbial fermentation will be discussed, in addition to specific examples which will be examined in depth. From this basic knowledge the problems of microbial contamination and spoilage of the finished product will be analysed. You’ll spend four hours in lectures and have a four hour practical each week to study for this module.

The module will provide an in depth induction into the relationship of bacterial and viral pathogens and their hosts. Including understanding the underlying molecular basis of the adaptive response of bacteria to various environments and the mechanisms by which bacteria and viruses subvert cellular machinery. You’ll have a four hour weekly lecture to cover material for this module.

This module will enable you to understand where new methods can replace traditional techniques of microbial detection and recording. You’ll spend four hours in lectures and have a three hour practical each week to study for this module.

A particular emphasis will be placed on the problems of technology transfer into industry.

Practicals will compare methods for isolating and identifying microorganisms using both standard and newer methods and will evaluate the limitations of these procedures.

Over the past few years major developments have been made regarding the study of genomes. Sequencing programmes now mean that the complete DNA sequence is now known for many species. Such information is revealing the high degree of similarity and conservation between different species and organisms, revolutionising the way in which gene function analysis is carried out. This module will provide a basic overview of recent research in the field of post-genomic technologies known as “omics” with emphasis on genomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Case studies will show how different approaches have been used to study genomes and how such developments are influencing the way genetic analysis and biotechnological improvement can be made. You will study by hands-on experience with problem-based lab and computer training sessions.

Examine the molecular causes of the ageing and malignant transformations of somatic cells that are observed during a single lifespan, and gain an understanding of the necessity to maintain the genome intact from one generation to the next. Around three hours per week will be spent within lectures studying this module.

How does a plant know when it is being attacked? In this module you’ll learn about plant signalling molecules and the ways in which these signals are integrated to ensure appropriate responses to environmental conditions or plant pathogen attack. You’ll gain a detailed knowledge of how plants use intercellular and intracellular signalling strategies to provide information about their environment, with particular emphasis on the use of molecular genetics in enabling us to determine the nature of the signals and the cross-talk that takes place between them. You’ll have lectures and demonstrations, as well as laboratory sessions to gain practical experience of the techniques for studying plant hormone signalling.

In a series of lectures, this module provides training in environmental biotechnology, with particular emphasis on the interaction between microorganisms and the environment. The main topics covered will be wastewater treatment, bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants, microbes as indicators of risk factors in the environment, microbes in agriculture (biocontrol and biofertilisers) and the role of microorganisms in bioenergy production.

This module focuses on the molecular biology that drives the fundamental principles behind the survival of microorganisms and their interaction with humans.

Lectures will discuss the interaction between the host and pathogens and how they drive the mechanisms of infection and immunity.

There will be two hours of lectures a week.