Gain a thorough training and grounding in the principles underlying translational medicine, with a particular focus on unmet needs in diseases of the nervous system.
We provide a unique perspective on the challenges of developing successful treatments in this area, bringing together the latest advances in neuroscience research and the most insightful analyses of clinical unmet needs by world-leading clinicians. Established in 2009, you will benefit from years of continuous improvement informed by the needs of our students.
You will receive in-depth training in drug discovery and development, exploring laboratory methods, models, and specific methodology of clinical trials, all of which are transferable skills across all medical research areas. You will learn the steps involved in the development and implementation of new treatments and how to apply this knowledge in a future professional role. You will benefit from the rich learning environment which encourages the development of systematic, critical, and independent thought, and this is complemented with insights into the regulatory environment.
We have a large number of specialists teaching on the course, and many are world leaders in their fields. These include academics from other institutions, clinicians, and specialists from the pharmaceutical industry. Many of our faculty also provide expert clinical care to patients at Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the leading departments in the UK. Queen Mary University of London's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is comprised of two renowned and prestigious teaching hospitals: St Bartholomew’s and The Royal London. Both continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine and together have been consistently ranked among the top five universities in the UK for medicine. As a student on this course, you will benefit from our links to Barts Health NHS Trust and access to clinical academics.
If you are studying for the MSc, the final project is your chance to conduct in-depth and independent research on a topic that is of direct interest to you and your career goals. You will apply the bench-to-the-clinic process through direct experience of a specific topic which has a translational medicine value. Past students have undertaken important and ground-breaking research such as ‘Exploration of Let 7b in two neonatal rat models of Hypoxia-Ischaemic Encephalopathy’, and ‘The ketogenic principal management of epilepsy: an update on its use and future potential’. You will analyse the background literature, undertake hands-on practical work (in the laboratory or in the clinic) leading to original data, and complete the whole process by writing a dissertation. You will give an oral presentation of the data you have obtained in your project and discuss it during a viva with the examiners. The skills you will learn on the projects are generic and can be readily applied to clinical and translational research in the future.