The Masters in Molecular Biology is delivered on campus through a combination of lectures workshops and practical classes alongside directed self-study. The workshop activities will guide extensive study in the topic of bioinformatics by the student.¿These tasks will allow you to demonstrate the use of bioinformatics software and the interpretation of the data. You will submit the required evidence of completion of the tasks for the portfolio assessment.

1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the technology and scope of genome analysis and critically evaluate the limitations of it and how this determines genomic strategies and data interpretation.

Knowledge and Understanding, Application, Analysis

2. Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge and a practical understanding of how to access information from databases and undertake analysis of DNA, RNA and protein sequences.

Application, Analysis, Problem Solving, Learning

3. Demonstrate comprehensive understanding and critical evaluation of the different aspects of biology and medicine to which Bioinformatics is applied.

Application, Knowledge and Understanding, Analysis, Enquiry

You will need access to a computer¿with access to the internet.¿

Computer programming software.

Publicly available databases.

Computer labs

An Essay on Bioinformatics and a portfolio Bioinformatics Electronic Book will be submitted at the end of the module. The Essay in Bioinformatics will include a discussion on the use of bioinformatics in Omics Analysis and Life Sciences. (LO 1 and 3)

The Bioinformatics Electronic Book will include completion of activities involving Next Generation Sequencing data (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics and microbiomics), an analysis of the data obtained and critique of the methodologies and results (LO 2 and 3)

Formative feedback will be given over the portfolio of tasks associated with the module topics. Discussion between students will be encouraged allowing peer and tutor feedback to be given.

In recent years it has become possible for the first time to view the complete genetic information of an organism. The field, genomics, is revolutionary and is having far-reaching consequences in biology and health related areas. Of course, the data generated, sequence data, has to be interpreted. This module covers the interpretation of this data through software tools; the field of Bioinformatics.

Topics addressed in this module includes: Database queries, Next Generation Sequencing Data Analysis Pipelines, Genomics results interpretation, understanding genomic, functional genomics and the larger field of Omics (e.g Transcriptomics, Metagenomics and others)

The value and potential application of sequence information will have an emphasis on the human genome and genomes of organisms involved in disease.

Huge amounts of important data are being generated from large-scale genomic and other ‘omic projects, emerging from the human genome project, personalised genomic medicine and microbiological communities. This data can only be processed using software and bioinformatics to identify patterns that can associate genotypes with phenotypes, such as disease predisposition, efficacy of treatment, conservation of gene sequence and identification of species. The module will provide you with the tools for analysis of this data

Note that the module will mainly use current material from e- journals and bioinformatics web-sites - of which there are a plethora, however the texts below will be relevant, they all have fairly recent new editions.¿

Goldberg, Michael L., et al. Genetics: from genes to genomes. 7th Edition. McGraw Hill Education, 2021.
Thomas Dandekar (Author), Meik Kunz. Bioinformatics: An Introductory Textbook. 1st ed. Springer. 2023.
Kappelmann-Fenzl, M. ed., 2021. Next Generation Sequencing and Data Analysis. 1st ed. Springer. Heidelberg, Germany.