Dr Donna Johnson

In this afterword, we take a moment to reflect on and consolidate the array of themes and insights presented in this text, focusing on the multifaceted aspects of biomedical science education. Our journey through these chapters has spanned various critical elements, from the intricacies of curriculum design to the broader implications of wide-ranging educational strategies on future professionals and the field at large.

xpression of the human GADD45a gene is increased in TK6 cells exposed to mutagens, clastogens and aneugens. It is known to be regulated through both p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways and WT1 has been implicated in both cases. This article reports an investigation into the effect that mutations in the WT1 and p53 response elements of the gene have on GADD45a expression. This was conducted in both p53 wild-type (TK6) and mutant (WI-L2-NS) human B lymphoblastoid cell lines. Gene expression was monitored using a GADD45a-green fluorescent protein reporter assay. Mutant cell lines were exposed to the mechanistically diverse genotoxins methyl methanesulphonate, cisplatin and mitomycin C (direct acting), hydroxyurea, aphidicolin and 5′fluorouracil (inhibitors of nucleotide/DNA synthesis) and benomyl (aneugen). In all cases, the induction of the reporter was reduced in the mutants compared with wild-type. These results provide experimental evidence for the implied role of WT1 in both p53-dependent and p53-independent pathways of GADD45a regulation and further insight into the mechanism of GADD45a induction by genotoxins.

With the current interest in the role of AI within education, there remains a lack of understanding regarding the perspectives of academic staff. This study addresses this gap, serving as a preliminary inquiry into the attitudes and perceived impacts of AI on education. Employing a survey-based approach, this study gathered data from a diverse cohort of academic staff across various disciplines. Overall, staff were positive about the impact of AI on their role but less so on the impact on student learning.

The effect of inorganic (INORG) or organic (ORG) Cu, fed without (−) or with (+) additional S and Mo on Cu status and performance was examined using 56 early lactation dairy cows in a 2 × 2 factorial study design. Supplementary Cu was added as either CuSO4 or BioplexCu (Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY) to provide an additional 10 mg of Cu/kg of dry matter (DM), with S added at 1.5 g/kg of DM and Mo at 6.8 mg/kg of DM to reduce Cu bioavailability. The basal ration was composed of corn and grass silages (2:1 respectively, DM basis) and straight feeds. Cows commenced the study at wk 7 of lactation and remained on treatment for 16 wk. An interaction existed between Cu source and added S and Mo on DM intake, with cows offered INORG− Cu having an increased intake compared with those offered INORG+ or ORG− Cu. Milk yield averaged 35.4 kg/d, and was 5% higher with milk fat content 6% lower in cows fed INORG compared with ORG Cu, but milk fat yield, energy-corrected milk yield, and milk protein content did not differ between treatments. A trend existed for cows to have a higher body weight gain when offered ORG compared with INORG Cu. Cows fed diets containing INORG Cu had a higher milk concentration of C17:0 and C18:3n-3 compared with those fed diets containing ORG Cu. Cows fed added S and Mo had a lower milk concentration of C17:0 and C18:0 compared with those that were not supplemented. No effect was observed of dietary treatment on plasma Cu concentration, which averaged 13.1 µmol/L, except during wk 12 when cows receiving added S and Mo had a lower concentration. No effect was observed of Cu source on mean plasma Mo concentrations, but during wk 16 cows offered INORG Cu had a higher concentration than those offered ORG Cu. Hepatic Cu levels decreased by approximately 0.9 mg/kg of DM per day when fed additional S and Mo, but no effect of Cu source was observed. A trend existed for hepatic ATPase, Cu++ transporting, beta polypeptide (ATP7B) to be upregulated in cows when fed S and Mo along with ORG but not INORG Cu. In conclusion, the inclusion of an ORG compared with an INORG source of Cu reduced milk yield but increased milk fat concentration and body weight gain, with no effect on energy-corrected milk yield. Little effect was observed of dietary Cu supply on plasma mineral concentration, liver mRNA abundance, or milk fatty acid profile, whereas the addition of S and Mo reduced hepatic Cu concentrations.

A curriculum is a key academic document, setting out the programme structure and content, also the rationale and vision for a course. It informs stakeholders and assures them a course is fit for purpose as well as demonstrates the level of quality required in the higher education sector. When considering curriculum design for biomedical science, designers must understand the needs of the profession and how to effectively educate those wishing to pursue a career as a Biomedical Scientist. However, not every student has this career aspiration in mind so each programme should be able to prepare students for diverse career paths. Such variation, combined with the already complex nature of the discipline, adds to the challenge of delivering a suitable curriculum which also considers professional development, as well as transferable and practical skills.

Communication of science is essential for its advancement and critical for its impact to be as far-reaching as possible. However there has been a considerable amount of misinformation which has been widely spread particularly online and through social media, which has particularly impacted both on what the public view as true as well as their perception of scientists. Whilst this has been happening throughout history, recent events have made this issue much more critical particularly since technological advances have made scientific information more widely available and communication easier. Teaching how to communicate scientific concepts is not something that is always overtly covered in many science-based courses. However, graduates are still expected to be able to effectively carry out science communication to a wide variety of audiences which will be dependent on the kind of job they decide to do. Also, students and future science professionals are avid information consumers which they need to be able to critically evaluate in order to establish the veracity and reliability of the information presented. These skills are essential in a professional environment and thus will ultimately impact employability.

While the definition of distributed learning can be varied, probably the most recognised is the combination of asynchronous and synchronous activities, digital and in-person content delivery, as well as independent and collaborative learning experiences. While many biomedical science courses are rooted in the traditional face-to-face formatting, particularly given the vital lab-based element, the pandemic has afforded an opportunity to expand the use of distributed learning approaches. Students can work through teaching and learning activities at their own pace and as many times as needed in order to get to grips fully with a topic. Integration of virtual learning environment elements such as learning modules can also be used to guide students through a topic and a range of activities can be embedded to promote interactivity. Such approaches can again add value to face-to-face sessions, allowing synchronous sessions to be focused on areas of particular difficulty and applications of knowledge.

Research-informed teaching has been shown to improve a student’s understanding of a topic as well as their communication skills. However, despite the importance of this in biomedical science degrees, there is remarkably little guidance for doing so in the literature. This may be due to the complexity of the subject and the range of opinions on what constitutes research-informed teaching and approaches to it. We would argue that not only should research inform teaching in biomedical sciences, but research should also be integrated robustly in all sub-disciplines across all levels in order to fully prepare students for the ever-advancing field of biomedical sciences. Here we define research-integrated teaching as a combination of research-informed content and design, the use of research-based teaching and learning activities and the use of assessments aligned not only to a sub-discipline but also to relevant career paths; essentially a full consideration of research and ongoing developments in every aspect of teaching.

To test the hypothesis that the metabolism of Cu in dairy cows is affected by basal forage and added S and Mo, 56 dairy cows that were 35 (standard error ± 2.2) days postcalving and yielding 38.9 kg of milk/d (standard error ± 0.91) were offered 1 of 4 diets in a 2 × 2 factorial design for a 14-wk period. The 4 diets contained approximately 20 mg of Cu/kg of dry matter (DM), and had a corn silage-to-grass silage ratio of 0.75:0.25 (C) or 0.25:0.75 (G) and were either unsupplemented (−) or supplemented (+) with an additional 2 g of S/kg of DM and 6.5 mg of Mo/kg of DM. We found an interaction between forage source and added S and Mo on DM intake, with cows offered G+ having a 2.1 kg of DM lower intake than those offered G−, but no effect on the corn silage-based diets. Mean milk yield was 38.9 kg/d and we observed an interaction between basal forage and added S and Mo, with yield being decreased in cows offered G+ but increased on C+. No effect of dietary treatment on milk composition or live weight was noted, but body condition was lower in cows fed added S and Mo irrespective of forage source. We found an interaction between forage source and added S and Mo on milk somatic cell count, which was higher in cows offered G+ compared with G−, but not in cows fed the corn silage-based diets, although all values were low (mean values of 1.72, 1.50, 1.39, and 1.67 log10/mL for C−, C+, G−, and G+, respectively). Mean plasma Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations were 13.8, 41.3, and 0.25 µmol/L, respectively, and were not affected by dietary treatment, whereas plasma Mo was 0.2 µmol/L higher in cows receiving added S and Mo. The addition of dietary S and Mo decreased liver Cu balance over the study period in cows fed either basal forage, but the decrease was considerably greater in cows receiving the grass silage-based diet. Similarly, hepatic Fe decreased more in cows receiving G than C when S and Mo were included in the diet. We concluded that added S and Mo reduces hepatic Cu reserves irrespective of basal forage source, but this decrease is considerably more pronounced in cows receiving grass silage- than corn silage-based rations and is associated with a decrease in intake and milk performance and an increase in milk somatic cell count.

Development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to be a global concern. In order to minimise the impact of such it is imperative to gather as much data as possible on the mechanisms and key pathways involved. The aim of this project was to investigate the role of adenine methylation in the development of resistance to triclosan and associated antibiotic cross-resistance. Triclosan resistance was induced in E. coli through repeated exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations. Pacbio SMRT sequencing was used to identify methylated bases in both wild type and resistance bacteria. Modified bases within genes were identified through genome annotation, and differentially methylated genes collated. E. coli rapidly became resistant to triclosan and exhibited increased resistance to multiple antibiotics. There were no statistically significant differences in global methylation. A number of genes associated with a range of functions were seen to be differentially methylated between the wild type and resistant cultures.

Histone-deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are able to induce cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and differentiation in a variety of tumour cell lines. The mechanisms leading to these cellular outcomes are not fully understood, however, it is has been proposed that induction of cell-cycle arrest might be a result of genotoxic stress. Despite the potential for genotoxic activity of this class of compounds, there are very few data available to provide evidence for this, either in vitro or in vivo. In this study, four HDACi, viz. trichostatin A, sodium butyrate, APHA compound 8 and apicidin, were tested in the human lymphoblastoid TK6 cell line-hosted GADD45a-GFP assay, which has high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of genotoxic carcinogens and in vivo genotoxicants. All four compounds produced positive genotoxicity results within the acceptable toxic dose range of the assay, with APHA compound 8 producing the weakest response. Taken alongside recent evidence demonstrating that GADD45a is not induced by non-genotoxic apoptogens, this study suggests that genotoxicity contributes to the anti-tumour activity of HDACi drugs.

At the heart of biomedical science education is the need to impart a comprehensive understanding of the human body, exploring its functions in states of health and disease. This educational journey is not a superficial overview but a deep dive into the complex biological systems that define human life. Curricula encompass a range of foundational subjects, each playing a pivotal role in shaping a student’s understanding of the workings of the body. This involves delving into subjects such as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, and pathology among others. These foundational subjects are crucial for students to understand the complex interactions and processes that occur within the body and through these subjects, biomedical science education provides students with a holistic understanding of the human body. The knowledge gained from these foundational subjects is not isolated; rather, it is interlinked, reflecting the interconnected nature of biological systems. This integrated approach is vital, ultimately preparing students for careers in biomedical research, healthcare, and beyond.

The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence in educational domains raises both opportunities and challenges in the context of academic integrity and pedagogical efficacy. This study outlines an innovative project that investigates the use of ChatGPT as a tool for enhancing the critical evaluation skills of master’s students in biomedical science. Using a dual approach combining AI-generated essay writing with subsequent student-led critical evaluation, this project sought to foster deeper critical evaluation skills in learners. By having participants critically assess AI-generated essays, supported critical evaluation based on peer-reviewed literature, the project aimed to deepen their evaluative skills. Outputs from the tasks were compared against academic benchmarks considering factors such as marks, writing, and overall quality. Participant perceptions were collected through a combination of a focus group session and an evaluation questionnaire. The key finding of this project was that while ChatGPT demonstrated proficiency in structural coherence and grammatical accuracy, it did not augment academic performance– participant marks for the AI-generated essays aligned closely with their overall module marks, showing no overall improvement. However, this study did see an increase in marks for participants’ critical evaluations. This suggests that ChatGPT was more effective as an assessment tool when used for critical evaluation tasks, aligning with pedagogical emphasis on nurturing critical evaluation skills. User interaction with AI emerged as a significant variable that influenced the tool’s efficacy, highlighting the need for a nuanced approach to its integration into educational settings. The study concludes that while ChatGPT offers promising avenues for both drafting and assessment, and demonstrated a high level of factual accuracy, it is not a substitute for human-led academic enquiry, and students preferred writing their own essays.

Effective assessment must demonstrate an effect - robust understanding of a subject. Assessment design is key, but feedback is an important tool in supporting our students to achieve this, not just after summative assessment, but throughout their learning journey. Often, student surveys report dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback. From a staff point of view there is frustration that the feedback provided, other than the mark itself, is often not used as it is intended as well as issues associated with assessment workload. So how do we approach solving these issues, especially in biomedical science where there is a range of subjects taught, by a number of different staff and both theoretical and practical elements? The first step is to consider assessment design. How can we produce assessments that are fit for purpose but are not onerous to mark? Secondly, how do we ensure that staff and students are on the same page when we talk about what feedback is and how it should be used? Finally, how do we integrate feedback throughout the learning journey, so it is effective not just for the current assessment but also for supporting achievement in future assessments?.

Background. DNA adenine methyltransferase (dam) has been well documented for its role in regulation of replication, mismatch repair and transposition. Recent studies have also suggested a role for dam in protection against antibiotic stress, although this is not yet fully defined. We therefore evaluated the role of dam in the development of antibiotic resistance and triclosan-associated cross-resistance. Results. A significant impact on growth rate was seen in the dam knockout compared to the parental strain. Known triclosan resistance-associated mutations in fabI were seen regardless of dam status, with an additional mutation in lrhA seen in the dam knockout. The expression of multiple antibiotic resistance-associated genes was significantly different between the parent and dam knockout post-resistance induction. Reversion rate assays showed that resistance mechanisms were stable. Conclusions. dam knockout had a significant effect on growth, but its role in the development of antibiotic resistance is likely confined to those antibiotics using acrAD-containing efflux pumps.

Traditionally, the practical aspects of biomedical science are taught to undergraduates in large busy laboratory classes where theoretical knowledge, which underpins fundamental techniques, is reinforced through active learning. This step-by-step approach using a lab book can lead to low student engagement, dissatisfaction, low-level learning, and a missed opportunity for the development of critical thinking skills. The aim is to place emphasis on a deep understanding of principles and concepts, cognitive skills, and application of knowledge. Inquiry-based learning focused on real-world application case studies, leads to student-centred learning which encourages the development of practical skills and higher-level thinking. The integration of e-learning resources can complement the practical learning experience through a blended approach to curriculum design.

INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that have an important role in regulating gene expression. Although circulating miRNAs are considered good markers of response to acute resistance training (RT) (1), change in expression according to the applied stimulus (e.g. high-intensity low-volume vs. low-intensity high-volume) has yet to be investigated. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the impact of RT protocols on circulating miRNA levels. We selected miRNA 29a, 128a, 486 as they have been previously shown to be implicated in skeletal muscle regeneration and structural adaptation (i.e. hypertrophy)

INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that have an important role in regulating gene expression. Although circulating miRNAs are considered good markers of response to acute aerobic exercise (1) change in expression according to workload has yet to be investigated. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the impact of maximal vs. sub-maximal intensity aerobic exercise on plasma concentrations of circulating miRNAs associated with inflammation, vascular adaptation and cardio-protection (miRNA 146a, miRNA 222, miRNA 21) (2).