BioGrad Education’s Biomedical Science is an intensive, hands-on course designed to give students early exposure to essential laboratory skills. This comprehensive course covers fundamental techniques in immunology, pathology, microbiology, molecular biology and more, preparing students for all future lab work. Delivered by real scientists from our industry standard Liverpool laboratories, this course provides a unique opportunity for participants to gain practical experience and foundational knowledge within the world of biomedical science.

This course allows students the opportunity to learn blood typing, microbiology and parasitology, bacterial culture, assays including ELISA and PCR and much more through hands-on learning. Students carry out their own lab work throughout, gaining vital experience that will be a benefit to both university applications and future careers.

The Biomedical Science course runs from 9:30am – 4pm for 5 consecutive days with a 1-hour break for lunch each day. We teach at a low student to tutor ratio (10:1) to ensure that all students are closely supervised and encouraged throughout their programme, maximising their experience.

All our 5-day courses for 16-19 year olds can be used as your Gold DofE Residential! We will also take photos of you during your time in the laboratories which will be sent to you upon completion, you can use these to begin building your LinkedIn presence and demonstrate your passion for science (this is looked upon incredibly favourably by universities!). You can opt for a personalised reference written by our senior scientists to be sent to a member of staff at your school/college, this can be used to support your UCAS application.

This course is ideal for students aged 16-19 with an interest in laboratory science, biomedical science and scientific research, providing excellent hands on experience for those considering higher education and careers in scientific fields. Experience gained and skills learnt act as highly valuable points of reference during university or job applications and interviews.

Prepare to gain confidence, skills, and insights in a challenging yet rewarding environment, where every moment counts. Join us for an unparalleled introduction to biomedical science!

Day 1

Morning Session: Introduction to the Laboratory

Students will be introduced to the laboratory environment and given their own lab coats and bench space. They will begin their training with an overview of health and safety and the everyday use of laboratory equipment. They will also be taught how to safely use a micropipette and be given opportunity to put their pipetting skills into practice.

Afternoon Session: Blood Typing

This session introduces students to the key elements of immunology as a basis for the rest of the week, they will also learn how to match a patient to a donor in an emergency scenario.

Day 2

Morning Session: Microbiology

An introduction to microbiological practices and how to successfully maintain an aseptic environment. Students will spend the morning preparing agar and broth to grow their own bacterial stocks. They will learn how to use an autoclave to sterilise their own equipment and media.

Afternoon Session: Bacterial Culture and Microscopy Techniques

Employing the techniques learnt, students will prepare their bacterial cultures, explore antibiotic sensitivity and perform microscopy.

The following morning, prior to the ELISA session, students will be able to analyse their agar plates and perform a Gram stain using bacteria they have grown.

Day 3

Morning Session: ELISA

This session introduces the importance of diagnostics and explores the use of antibodies and antigens as a method of diagnosing a tropical disease, whilst understanding the implications regarding treatment and transmission prevention.

Afternoon Session: ELISA Continued - Introduction to Research Project Design

Putting theory and practical skills learnt during the morning session into practice, students will be taught how to design and perform an ELISA experiment within the context of an academia-style research project.

Day 4

Morning Session: PCR and its Applications

This session allows students to understand the range of applications of PCR and how scientists use this to collect data. PCR is a critical technique that can be applied to an endless number of biological molecules, understanding novel diseases, and utilised as a diagnostic tool.

Afternoon Session: PCR in Practice

Students will have the opportunity to carry out their own RT-qPCR and analyse their results, with guidance from an expert within the field. By this stage, students will be able to piece together how the individual skills they’ve learnt can be utilised in parallel to answer exciting and novel research questions, impacting the future of biomedical science.

Day 5

Morning Session: Journal Club/Presentations

Students will have the option to host a journal club or prepare a short presentation on a topic relevant to something they’ve learnt and enjoyed throughout the week. They will have the opportunity to showcase their passions and develop key transferable skills in critical thinking and public speaking, both of which are highly valued within biomedical research.

Afternoon Session: Careers and CV Workshop

Aiding students’ understanding of the extensive prospects within academia, industry and more. An opportunity to dissect and discuss their own career goals and learn how to present themselves as strong candidates during applications.

During this course, students will learn skills beneficial for any university application including:

• Working safely in a laboratory environment.
• Performing blood typing.
• Pipetting effectively.
• Ensuring proper aseptic technique.
• How to safely use an autoclave.
• How to grow bacterial stock for lab use.
• Performing microscopy.
• Performing Gram staining.
• Utilising an ELISA assay to diagnose disease.
• Carrying out an RT-qPCR assay and analysing results.

Time is given throughout the course for students to gain a proper understanding of the skills being taught with an opportunity to redo anything that has not been understood at any point.

• Students attending this course are typically on track to apply for biomedical science undergraduate programmes (or similar) with a background studying science subjects.
• A level Biology or equivalent study is recommended to keep up with the course material.
• Students must be between the ages of 16 and 19 at course commencement to be eligible.