MF9410 ¨C Principles of Stem Cell Biology

Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Teaching
• Examination
• Evaluation

Course content

The course consists of 5 one-hour introductory lectures and a series of 6-10 shorter presentations featuring frontiers of current stem cell research. Course instructors are leading researchers in stem cell biology. Introductory lectures:

• Basics of stem cell biology (stem cell origins and plasticity)
• Tumor stem cells
• Stem cell epigenetics
• microRNAs and stem cell regulation
• Current clinical applications of stem cells

Learning outcome

Students will learn about:

• The different types of stem cells, how they are derived and the extent of their plasticity.
• How tumor stem cells give rise to metastases and treatment-resistant remnant cells that cause relapse, and how this impacts on the development of future cancer treatment strategies
• How epigenetic mechanisms encompassing various DNA modifications and histone dynamics are involved in regulating the potentiality and differentiation of stem cells
• How microRNAs are involved in regulating stem cell differentiation
• How stem cells are currently being used in the clinic and what kinds of future treatments lie on the horizon. Students will also be exposed to current Norwegian projects lying at the frontier of stem cell research

Admission

Ph.D. candidates and students at the Medical Student Research Programme will get first priority to the course. The maximum number of participant is 50.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Students should have a lower university degree in natural sciences, preferably within the biological sciences, but
other backgrounds will also be considered

Recommended previous knowledge

Background reading material will be provided prior to course start.

Teaching

The course consists of 5 one-hour introductory lectures and a series of 6-10 shorter presentations featuring frontiers of current stem cell research. This is a one-day course.

NB! You have to participate in at least 80 % of the teaching to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance at lectures will be registered.

Examination

There will be a written take-home exam with a deadline of 1 week after the course. Grading: Pass/fail.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Evaluation

The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.