From bench to bedside: Exploring the immune response to microbes

You will explore the fascinating world of host-pathogen interaction and the effectiveness of interventions that improve human health by preventing or controlling the spread of disease.   

Understanding Endocrinology and Diabetes (July programme)

Hormones affect every organ in the body, and regulate important physiological processes including growth, metabolism, stress and reproduction. You will investigate what happens when certain hormonal systems go wrong, and how we can diagnose and treat endocrine disease.

You will then explore the connection between diabetes and obesity – what it is, how it develops and its impact on health.

Urinary system (August programme) 

Following an introduction to the urinary system and its role in the body, you will conduct a practical urine analysis using dipsticks. As a group, you will then develop management strategies for ensuring healthy kidney function.

You will:

• Summarise the urinary system.
• Study the structure of kidney nephron and identify the compounds absorbed/secreted in each area.
• Understand the process of urine production, transfer and storage.
• Use urine dipstick testing to diagnose basic disorders.

The practical clinical skills session takes place at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals). This Trust is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, providing healthcare to around 1.5 million people each year. The hospitals are renowned for their strong research connections and are a major provider of education and training for health professionals and medical undergraduates.

Led by a clinical lecturer, you will participate in a series of practical sessions based on vital medical skills such as:

• ABCDE assessment
• Measuring blood pressure
• Measuring blood glucose levels
• NEWS scoring
• Basic life support
• Heart scan
• Neck scan
• CPR
• Becoming an emergency leader

During the Life Sciences sessions, you will analyse genetically modified (GMO) Drosophila melanogaster fly strains with new artificial characteristics to identify and isolate the cloned genes responsible, using modern biological and biochemical methods.

You will be introduced to health and safety and handling micropipette’s (Gilson) and fly genetic theory before undertaking a variety of practical experiments including:

• Identification of gene providing lacZ activity;
• Identification of location of lacZ expression in modified fly larvae – demonstration;
• Visualisation of Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) plasmid containing strain;
• Thermo-sensitivity assay;
• Genomic DNA preparation;
• PCR amplification of fly DNA;
• Agarose gel electrophoresis.

You will then make sense of the results and identify the genotypes according to the Drosophila strains.