> > > Cellular and Molecular Medicine > > > The BSc Degree Programmes Cancer Biology (B190) Cancer Biology & Immunology (B131) Cancer Biology & Virology (BCC5) Cellular & Molecular Medicine (B130) Immunology (C551) Medical Microbiology (C521) Microbiology (C500) Pathology & Microbiology (BC15) Virology and Immunology (C540) 2 > > 2 > > Contents > > > Introduction 5 The City of Bristol 7 The University of Bristol 8 Cancer Biology, Immunology, 11 Bacteriology, Virology, Stem Cell Biology Teaching and Learning 12 Admissions 13 Year 1 & 2 Units 14 Year in Industry 15 Final Year Research Project & Final Year Topics 16 Postgraduate Opportunities 17 Research 18 Careers 25 Further Information 26 “The Department aims to provide an exciting and challenging academic environment where students and staff can achieve their learning, teaching and research goals in cellular and molecular medicine.” Anthony Hollander, Professor of Rheumatology & Tissue Engineering and Head of Department Introduction > > > The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine is an We are located in the School of Medical Sciences and internationally recognised centre of excellence for our staff include basic scientists as well as clinicians Cancer Biology, Infection and Immunology and Stem working in the major Bristol hospitals. As a result, the Cell Biology. The Department was recognised for its scientific research and teaching of the Department are National and International excellence in the last national conducted with a clear focus on human disease. We Research Assessment Exercise, and was awarded a also have several University spin-out companies maximum 24 out of 24 in the national Teaching Quality embedded within the Department and this allows us to Assurance assessment. These results demonstrate how focus on translating our fundamental discoveries into the Department successfully balances its twin aims of therapies that can be exploited for the benefit of large providing first class teaching whilst carrying out the numbers of patients. This translational research highest quality biomedical research. environment provides an exciting backdrop to the learning experience for our undergraduates who are The Department teaches all aspects of cancer biology, taught both by fundamental scientists and clinicians, as immunology, bacteriology, virology and stem cell biology well as those engaged in commercialisation of medical to its own science undergraduates, to those from other research. departments and to medical and dental students. Our science courses are designed to provide students with a Bristol is an exciting city in which to live and study, and wide variety of choices, allowing them to specialise as the University of Bristol is one of the top universities in their interests develop. the UK. Set against this very attractive background, the Department aims to provide a stimulating and enjoyable All our members of staff draw upon their research environment where students and staff can achieve their expertise to ensure that the teaching enjoyed by our learning, teaching and research goals in the fullest students reflects the cutting edge of the subject matter. possible sense. Indeed, a key element of our undergraduate courses is a major final year research project carried out within one of This brochure will give you a flavour of what the the internationally recognised research teams in the Department has to offer in terms of its teaching and Department. This gives our students experience of the research, and we hope you find it informative and research process and provides them with a competitive interesting. edge when applying for higher degrees or future employment. The projects allow our students to Anthony Hollander contribute to the solving of important problems in Professor of Rheumatology & Tissue contemporary cellular and molecular medicine. Engineering and Head of Department 5 > > www.swns.com The City of Bristol > > > Bristol is a multicultural city of balloons and kites, clubs John Cabot sailed from here in 1497 on and DJs, festivals and carnivals, architecture and his historic voyage to Newfoundland. parkland, business and new technology, theatres and museums, artists and animators, music and film. It has Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the been officially designated a ‘Centre of Culture’ and a Great Western Railway from London to ‘Science City’ by the Government. In 2008 Bristol was Bristol in the 1830s. given the ‘European City of the Year’ award by the The foundations of solid-state physics Academy for Urbanism. In the same year it was also were laid here in the 1930s by Nevill selected as Provincial City of the Year and Britain’s most Mott and his team. sustainable city. Bristol is also the only UK city to be short-listed for the European Green Capital Award 2010 In Bristol on 9 April 1969, the British- and is England’s first ‘Cycling City’. Bristol is a wonderful built Concorde prototype made its first place to live and is certainly a great place to be a student. flight. Just ask any past or present Bristol students. The Hollywood Oscar winners, The name Bristol comes from the Old English Brycgstow, Aardman Animations, producers of meaning ‘the place at the bridge’. That’s still a good “Wallace and Gromit”, are based in description, and not just because of Brunel’s renowned Bristol. Clifton Suspension Bridge. Bristol is a bridge to culture, experiences, landscapes, careers – and the future. The band Portishead recorded the groundbreaking Dummy album here Bristol has a history of innovation, creativity, exploration (parts of it were recorded in the Music and risk-taking as illustrated by just a few examples Department’s Victoria Rooms) in 1993. opposite. Banksy, the Bristol-born renowned street artist and ‘trickster’, began his career here in the 1990s. 7 > > The University of Bristol > > > The University College of Bristol opened in 1876 in a bid The University continues to invest to maintain its position to bring university culture to the provinces. It was the first at the forefront of research and teaching and has college in the country to admit men and women on an recently broken ground for £80 million-worth of new equal footing. After much lobbying, government grants accommodation for the departments of Mathematics for the University College began in 1889, and in 1893 the and Biological Sciences. Medical and Engineering Schools were opened. An enormous variety of extramural activities on and off In 1908, gifts from the Wills and Fry families enabled the the sports field is available as you might expect from a College to apply for a charter, and in 1909 the King and major university. These take place at the University’s £5 Privy Seal approved the creation of the University of million Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health as well as at Bristol. George and Harry Wills funded the magnificent the 38 acre Coombe Dingle Sports Complex near the Wills Memorial Building, opened by King George V and Stoke Bishop Halls of Residence. Queen Mary in 1925. This is still the centrepiece of the University precinct. The University has been rated as one of the top ten universities in the UK and in 2009 it was ranked within The University’s reputation grew steadily throughout the the top 35 in the World. The University is a member of the 1930s, helped in no small way by the appointment of Worldwide Universities Network, a grouping of 18 Winston Churchill as its third Chancellor in 1929. Four research-led institutions of international standing as well Nobel Laureates worked at Bristol: Paul Dirac (1933), as a member of the Russell Group of universities, an Cecil Frank Powell (1950), Hans Albrecht Bethe (1967) association of 20 major research-intensive universities in and Neville Mott (1977). the UK. Bristol undergraduates study in an environment of international-class research 8 > > 9> > 10 > > What are cancer biology, immunology, bacteriology, virology and stem cell biology? > > > Cancer Biology > > > However, some bacterial infections are dangerous and as time goes by new antibiotic resistant bacteria are Cancer can be simply described as the multiplication of emerging. The mechanisms by which bacteria acquire a cell in the absence of normal controls to produce a antibiotic resistance and how certain bacteria infect tumour. Needless to say the control of cell growth is humans and cause disease are clearly very important enormously complex and cancer is really a general term issues and are a focus of interest in the Department. for a multitude of different diseases where cell growth control has been lost or compromised. It is expected that an understanding of the cellular and molecular Virology > > > mechanisms of growth control of normal cells and its Another group of equally important microbes is the absence in cancer cells will lead to effective treatments, viruses. It was once said by Nobel Laureate, Joshua prevention and ultimately cures for most, if not all, Lederberg, that viruses are man’s only true competitors human cancer. for domination of the planet. This is almost certainly not true but viruses such as HIV and influenza are clearly Immunology > > > having a massive global impact. The study of viruses is of great importance in world health terms. Immunology is the study of immunity to infection and also encompasses autoimmunity where destructive immune responses are made against our own bodies. A Stem Cell Biology > > > healthy immune system can distinguish between self All the specialised cells in our body are derived from and non-self or foreign biological material such as stem cells. In the early embryo there are pluripotent bacteria and viruses. Ultimately it is hoped that we can stem cells that can turn into any other cell type. In the manipulate the immune system to eliminate foetus or in adults there are tissue specific stem cells autoimmune diseases, to make better vaccines against that can turn into a more limited repertoire of specialised infections and even to cause the immune destruction of cells. All stem cells, when grown in the laboratory, can cancers.