5 ECTS credits
125 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4002179ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
The incidence of diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease increases whereas progress towards innovative therapies for these disorders has been modest. The nervous system poses interesting challenges in terms of cell and molecular biology and pharmacology. Recent studies have shown that the mammalian nervous system has an intrinsic capacity for regrowth and repair and this has been exploited in repair strategies.
In this course, we will first review current knowledge on the pathogenesis and treatment options for multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke. Second, we will discuss potential therapeutic approaches including administration of neurotrophic factors, transplanting stem cells, mobilizing adult endogenous stem cells within the brain, or reprogramming the expression of (neurotrophic) genes. In addition, different models to develop and evaluate new therapeutic approaches will be presented.
Discussion and evaluation of new therapeutic approaches will be based on the (bio)medical literature.
e-mail: ron.kooijman@vub.ac.be
Pointcarre (http://pointcarre.vub.ac.be/) for powerpoint presentations, papers of interest and the list of paper for examination.
Recent papers from literature.
Powerpoint presentations of the different lectures.
..........................
Notes to be taken during the presentations.
Understanding of the pathology of disorders of the central nervous system.
Insight into the possibilities to develop new treatments for disorders to the central nervous system.
Being able to critically assess translational research on therapies for disorders of the central nervous system.
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:
An oral exam of 30 minutes during which the student has to summarize and critically discuss a scientific paper of interest to be chosen from a list of 8-12 publications (see pointcarre). The publications are related to the subjects presented and discussed by different professors teaching in this course. The student must understand the scientific background of the research and the methods that have been used. During the discussion of the paper the student should be able to describe the weak points of the paper and to propose suggestions for further research or improvements. The paper can be downloaded from pointcarre in advance.
Feedback on your examination can be obtained by making an appointment at ron.kooijman@vub.ac.be
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biomedical Sciences: Management and Business (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biomedical Sciences: Clinical Biomedical Sciences (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biomedical Research: Standaard traject
Master of Teaching in Health Sciences: standaard traject (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)