Further details
This course is aimed at students and staff with little experience of laboratory-based techniques in molecular biology and molecular medicine, who want to acquire research laboratory skills. The course is perfect for: a) Students who intend to undertake master’s studies in Molecular Medicine,
Experimental Medicine or Biotechnology. b) Undergraduate students going into the final year or who have already achieved the final year of their degree i.e. BMedSci degree. c) Candidates for PhD in Genetics, Experimental Medicine, Molecular Medicine or
Biotechnology. d) Medical students intending to undertake laboratory-based research. e) Qualified medical doctors who intend to gain experience in laboratory-based techniques. f) Academics who wish to improve their technical skills in the research laboratory.
Outline of the programme
Every day participants are required to spend:

Four to six hours in the laboratory under the supervision of qualified academic staff.
You will have the opportunity to practice fundamental molecular biology techniques including PCR, cloning, cell culture (bacteria), DNA extraction, DNA genotyping, DNA sequencing, mutation detection, gene expression, protein purification, electrophoresis, immuno-blotting.

Two to three hours in the computer room studying bioinformatics. You will be learning how to navigate and search information on genes and proteins using public databases, including; the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the DNA Data Bank of Japan
(DDBJ). We will also introduce participants to the SnapGene programme which will allow the control of each step of in silico cloning before starting laboratory hands-on experiments. You will be using individual computers to search for information about genes using these browsers.

One hour of taught course on molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, bioinformatics, RNA biology, stem cells, biochemistry and biotechnology as well as lectures on new technology in molecular biology and molecular genetics techniques such as Genetics, Microarray, RNAi Screening core facilities
Scientific English (optional)
We can also offer two hours a day of Scientific English. This English language programme has been specifically designed for biomedical training such as the MRSP. For further information please contact the programme Director, Dr Rachid Tazi-Ahnini
( r.taziahnini@sheffield.ac.uk
).

Evaluation
There will be continual evaluation of participants to guide and help them improve. This will consist of multiple choice quizzes and short questions. Each participant is expected to produce a short research report on his or her own research project. You will also be asked to give a 10 minute oral presentation at the end of your research project. Each participant will receive a report with constructive feedback showing the areas where improvement may be necessary in order to achieve an outstanding outcome for the required participant level.