MRes in Translational Medicine

This course is open for October 2012 entry. Please apply online.

 The MRes in Translational Medicine course (pathway in MRes Clinical Research) capitalises on the excellence in experimental medicine and clinical research at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The aim of the course is to equip students with an understanding of the tools available for experimental medicine and translational research. Knowing the opportunities and limitations of the technology, students will understand how it can be deployed to address a clinical question in a clinical research protocol.

The course is suitable for all medical disciplines, but of particular interest to Cardiovascular/Respiratory, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Metabolic medicine.

The programme has been designed to focus on research and uses some clinical specialities as models to highlight this. While all students will be required to follow this curriculum, the opportunity to specialize in a clinical field will be provided through the research project. The course will enable students to put theory into practice by contributing to clinical research activities, taking responsibility for a project and producing a project report. Students will obtain an understanding of research methodologies by studying in a world-leading clinical research environment.

Investigators from academia and industry with diverse backgrounds from systems biology, through clinical pharmacoimaging, to specific medical disciplines will provide guidance on a variety of topics embraced by Translational Medicine in plenary sessions, seminars and networking events. Basic and clinical research infrastructure provide an excellent environment for advanced hands-on training in the theoretical and practical aspects of clinical research.

This MRes course is one of four pathways of an umbrella programme - MRes in Clinical Research. The four pathways include:

• MRes in Translational Medicine pathway has been designed for Medics and basic scientists.
• MRes Cellular Pathology pathway provides training for laboratory or clinical histologists and cytologists, whether medically or biomedically qualified.
• MRes Clinical Research Design and Management pathway caters for nurses and allied healthcare professionals.
• MRes in Human Nutrition has been designed for health care professionals and scientists with interest in nutrition research (subject to Senate approval).

Employment prospects

Graduates of this course will have an awareness of clinical experimental medicine and translational research which provides an ideal background for following a career in a clinical research environment. The aim of the course us is to provide training to individuals who wish to pursue a career in clinical research, be it in an academic institution or in industry. The course intends to develop highly skilled and motivated researchers and cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists involved in the design and execution of conventional and experimental medicine trials. As such, successful completion of the course is likely to enhance opportunities for recruitment by academic/industry institutions beyond traditional organizational boundaries. The course provides excellent training to students who wish to pursue a PhD.

Entry requirements

The course is designed to cater for UK and international students with a first/undergraduate degree in Medicine or Life Sciences. The programme is highly suitable for graduates in medicine who wish to pursue a career as clinical academics and for medical professionals in industry. Basic scientists with a degree in life sciences are also encouraged to apply. A minimum upper second class Honours is required.

Q&A

Course structure

The course consists of two research projects and a lecture programme covered in four taught modules providing a broad introduction to core topics in experimental medicine and translational research. Each module will take form of intensive teaching over a period of one week. Students will dedicate the remaining days to their projects. Part-time students are required to dedicate the equivalent of 20 days per Term working on their projects - subject to arrangement with their academic supervisor.

Research projects

Individual research is central to the course and research projects account for 70% of the final course grade. Project are supervised by experienced members of staff at Imperial College. In the course of their individual research, each student will complete two complementary research projects, designed to give practical experience of laboratory and clinical research. The experience gained will help in developing and focusing research skills in modern biomedical and clinical investigation laboratories. To complement their projects, students will attend group tutorials, make presentations at lab meetings and will take part in journal clubs. At the end of their research, time will be allocated to write up the projects in the form of a 10,000-word report.

Research projects will be identified in the first month of the programme and will be carried out on Hammersmith Campus, but arrangements will be made for students working with research groups at other sites. We also support students participating in research projects designed in collaboration with external parties, e.g. other Departments or pharmaceutical firms (a number of past students have undertaken projects within GSK). Students undertaking their projects outside of Imperial College will be allocated a College supervisor and will be requested to identify an external co-supervisor. In such cases, students will be required to discuss the project proposals with the course director/organiser so as to ensure that they fulfill the objectives of the MRes course.

Examples of past project titles

Taught Modules (subject to senate approval)

Teaching takes place in four modules, each taught over a period of one week and complemented with home study material and tutorial meetings. Part-time students will be required to attend Core Module 1 and Core Module 2 during their first year of study. Part-time students will be required to attend Module 3 and Module 4 either in their first or second year of study.

Module 1 - Core Module: Introduction to Clinical Research, Medical Governance and Statistics

Teaching week: 10 - 12 Oct 2011 & 27 -28 Oct 2011

Module 2 - Core Module: Bench to Bedside, Clinical Trials and Experimental Medicine Tools

Teaching week: 16 - 20 Jan 2012

Module 3 - Core Module: Therapeutics

Teaching week: 19 - 23 March 2012

Module 4 - Specialist Module: Translational Medicine

Teaching week: 14-18 May 2012

Module outlines