3 ECTS credits
75 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4012302ENR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
During this course unit, we will study in detail several stem cell systems that are currently under investigation.
We will use recent articles and analyze the published techniques, results and conclusions. Moreover, the chosen topics will show the importance of multi-disciplinary approaches when studying biological problems as well as illustrate new paradigms.
Such topics are for example:
* Immortal DNA strand hypothesis
* Debate on the existence of ovarian stem cells
* cancer stem cells (glioblastoma, epithelium)
* Intestinal stem cell modeling
* lineage tracing & breast stem cells
* Organoids
An active participation of the student is necessary and the presence during all the classes is MANDATORY.
One point of the final grade (on 20) will be substracted for each non-justified absence (justification based on the VUB/faculty rules).
A new teaching approach is used for this class: the students themselves will give most of the lectures.
Each student will analyze four scientific articles on a same topic.
Based on these as well as other sources found independently, the student will present a lecture (about 1,5-2 hours) on the topic to his/her peers.
e-mail: luc.leyns@vub.be
Scientific articles will be made available online
This course unit has the following intended learning outcomes. At the end of the course unit, the student should be able to:
* know and understand the various stem cells processes discussed in the course,
* analyze in depth experiments, the conclusions that can be made and the hypotheses that can be generated based on these results,
* communicate orally to peers the scientific results in the form of a course lecture.
The student will then know how to tackle recent scientific paradigms in stem cell biology , be able to autonomously analyze and report on a specific biological operation.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
During the oral exam, the student will present in 15 minutes a scientific topic (based on one or several scientific articles) under the form of a presentation. The article(s) will be provided several weeks in advance.
Afterwards, this topic as well as the content of the course will be discussed (about 15 minutes) with the examiner.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Molecular Biology: Standaard traject
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biology: Education (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: biologie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)