3 ECTS credits
75 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4021206FNR for all students in the 2nd semester of even academic years (e.g. 2012-2013) at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
biennial: 2nd semester of an even academic year (e.g. 2012-2013)
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Biology
Educational team
Birgit Mertens (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

12 contact hours Lecture
12 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

The course will especially focus on genetic toxicology, one of the important pillars of the science of toxicology. Due to its link with cancer and transmission of hereditary diseases, genetic toxicology has many applications, e.g., as a regulatory tool in product testing, human and environmental biomonitoring, etc. First, the basic principles of toxicology will be addressed (i.e., toxicokinetics – toxicodynamics, hazard vs. risk, principles of risk assessment, etc.) as knowledge of these principles is needed to adequately understand genetic toxicology.

Following this introductory lesson, the course of “Genetic Toxicology” will comprise:

General introduction to genetic toxicology addressing questions like What is genetic toxicology?, What is the difference between genotoxicity and mutagenicity?, What is its importance and What are the applications?




  • Overview of the criteria for the performance of genotoxicity tests (e.g., need of a battery of tests, in vitro and in vivo studies, inclusion of positive and negative controls, blind study, adequate number of examined cells and/or animals/humans, use of statistically sound tests,...)


  • Description of the main genotoxicity tests (in vitro/in vivo) (e.g., Ames test, Vitotox test, mouse lymphoma test, micronucleus/cytome assay, comet test,...)


  • Introduction to the use of in silico methods for the prediction of genotoxicity


  • Examples of applications:


    • Product testing (e.g., evaluation of toxicological dossiers, REACH,…)


    • Human (cytogenetic) biomonitoring studies (e.g., following environmental pollution  accidents or population surveys – nuclear power accident, municipal incinerators, industrial workers,...)


    • Environmental monitoring including tests on water, air, soil samples and animals living in the region of interest (e.g., monitoring the genotoxicity of industrial waste water, survey of the quality of water in particular rivers/air samples in urban or industrial environments,...)


    • Medicinal plants and natural products which are generally, but often erroneously, considered ‘safe’ (e.g., antigenotoxicity testing in search of new medication against cancer,...)


    • Biological dosimetry of ionizing radiations (e.g., survey of workers at a nuclear power plant,…)


    • Testing of cosmetics (only in vitro testing can be done)


    • Food contaminants (e.g., residues of food contact materials, food processing contaminants, heavy metals,…)




+ Half day demo/practical work at the laboratory of Toxicology (ScienSano): demonstration on a number of genetic toxicology tests including some practical exercises.

Course material
Practical course material (Required) : EPA reports, OECD reports, IARC publications, Royal Decrees, IHE reports
Handbook (Recommended) : Genetic Toxicology, Tests and applications, Verschaeve L., ASP, 9789057182839, 2015
Additional info

Course material

Course text (Required): All power point slides used will be made available and should be complemented with individual notes.

Extra: Recommended handbook:  Verschaeve L., (2015), Genetic Toxicology, tests and applications (UPA, ISBN 978 90 5718 263 9).

Learning Outcomes

General competences

This course explicitly contributes to the following competences of the curriculum

(as defined by the Biology Department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel):




  • to have a broad knowledge on human-environment interactions with a focus on genetic toxicology


  • to understand what the applications and consequences are with respect to as well human as environmental health


  • to understand how this discipline in toxicology plays a role in society

Grading

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:

  • Oral exam with written prep with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

    Note: Oral exam with written preparation.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Oral exam with written preparation.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences
Master of Biology: Human Ecology
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity
Master of Biology: AR Human Ecology 60 ECTS