Brief Description of Assessment Task

A proposal for a research study in an area related to cell and molecular biology.

This is your opportunity to study an area of cell and/or molecular biology that interests you in greater depth. It will allow you to read the scientific literature about your area of interest, to identify areas where further research can be done and to propose the appropriate methodology to perform your study. You must predict the likely outcomes of your study and discuss any health and safety or ethical issues that may be raised by the research.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the cellular and molecular biology techniques including genomics, proteomics, nanotechnology and protein engineering.
• Collate and independently evaluate significant volumes of scientific data, information and ideas to propose new hypotheses which could form the basis of new research projects; create original responses to problems that expand or redefine existing knowledge or develop new approaches to changing situations. Evidence independent, self-directed learning and originality in problem solving when completing assignments.

Title of Your Project
Make this concise and relevant

Abstract (150-200 words)
Summary of your proposal. All the major points relating to your proposed research should be covered here, in a very concise, focused narrative.

Introduction and rationale (500-600 words)
This should provide a solid background to the project grounded in research literature. If your proposed research is about a disease or a protein or a technique, introduce it here. Use the background information to explain how your proposed research differs from that already carried out and justify your proposed work. Remember that readers of research proposals usually know less about the research area than the authors, so make sure the background information and your ideas are introduced in a logical way that is easy to follow. You should include references in this section, perhaps from text books but more likely from journal research articles. See examples of how references are used in introduction sections in the journal articles you read. Be concise and focused- this should not include everything you have read about your subject of interest!

Aims & Hypothesis (~50 words)
Explain clearly and concisely what you are trying to find out and what you think the result will be.

Experimental Design (600-800 words)
What is your research strategy going to be? Outline the methods and techniques that you propose to use and state their purpose in the context of your overall aim. This section should include a flow diagram outlining the samples you would collect, how they would be processed in the laboratory and how the results of each technique would be interpreted to answer your research question.

Make sure that the data to be generated will answer your question/test your hypothesis i.e. don't use a protein analysis technique if your aim is to study DNA unless you clearly explain how the results can be interpreted to provide the required information about the DNA of interest. Give an overview of the techniques to be used and the materials required. This should include numbers of human volunteers or animal/cell/sample requirements if appropriate. We require enough experimental detail to know that you understand the principles of the techniques you are proposing to use and what they involve but you are not expected to include the very specific details such as volumes or concentrations. Suggest why these techniques are the most appropriate to perform the study and include a health and safety statement in this section. You will need to use references to support your choice of techniques and/or to refer to details that you don't have space to include. Ensure that this section primarily consists of cell and/or molecular biology techniques- clinical studies alone for example are unlikely to provide you with sufficient opportunity to demonstrate your skills and understanding relating specifically to this unit.

Ethics (150-200 words)
ALL research has potential ethical implications. Outline those associated with your proposed research and describe how they are related to your hypothesis and aims and/or to your experimental methodology. Are the ethical issues raised justifiable in terms of the research proposed? Are there alternatives that could be used that you have rejected? If so, why? Have you proposed any non-optimal details mainly to avoid using less ethical alternatives? Do you think your proposed research would be permitted in this country or anywhere else and/or would you need specific approval from a professional body or similar?

Results (400-500 words)
Explain the format of data expected from the experiments performed and what you would expect to see based on your hypothesis. This could be a prediction of both positive and negative results, e.g. what will you see if the expression of ‘gene X' isn't related to tumour formation as well as if it is. This section should not include actual predictions of specific values- you are unlikely to be able to predict to that level of detail. However, you should be able to demonstrate that you understand the format of the results likely to be generated by your proposed methodology (e.g. gel images following PCR or western blotting, microscopy images following immunohistochemistry) and how you can interpret and analyse the data in order to test your hypothesis. Don't forget to discuss output for every technique mentioned in the Experimental Design section and vice versa.

Outcomes & Conclusion (~100 words)
What will the outcomes of your research be? What questions will have been answered? Who will benefit from it? Is there potential for further work or related studies?

Attachment:- Cell and Molecular Biology Assessment.rar