6 ECTS credits
160 u studietijd

Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 4009569ENR voor alle studenten in het 2e semester met een verdiepend master niveau.

Semester
2e semester
Inschrijving onder examencontract
Niet mogelijk
Beoordelingsvoet
Beoordeling (0 tot 20)
2e zittijd mogelijk
Ja
Onderwijstaal
Engels
Faculteit
Faculteit Geneeskunde en Farmacie
Verantwoordelijke vakgroep
Basis (bio-) medische wetenschappen
Onderwijsteam
Hilde Van De Velde
Claudia Spits (titularis)
Luc Leyns
Onderdelen en contacturen
30 contacturen Hoorcollege
70 contacturen Zelfwerk en -studie
Inhoud

In this course, we teach the fundamentals of pluripotent stem cell biology focusing on mouse and human. We approach this by teaching about early mammalian development, totipotency and its associated pathways, reprogramming, differentiation and about the practical applications of pluripotent stem cells.

In the part on early human development, we provide in depth knowledge on human embryology by touching upon gametogenesis, fertilization processes, preimplantation development and implantation. The concept of totipotency is discussed in the context of early developmental processes such as patterning and lineage segregation. Reproductive medicine and research on human embryos are presented in a general manner, and cloning is explained.

The core of the course focusses on mouse and human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. We teach on differentiation of stem cells, both in 2D and 3D organoid models, and provide insight on the comparisons between human and mouse cells. Finally, we discuss the research and clinical applications of stem cells, including the use of stem cells in toxicological studies, early developmental research and ongoing clinical trials.

Studiemateriaal
Digitaal cursusmateriaal (Vereist) : The powerpoint presentations will be made available through Canvas. These will include references to the most important publications in the field. These publications will also be made available to the students via Canvas., Canvas
Bijkomende info

The course is structured in a flipped classroom model. The students will watch the online available recorded lessons, read papers, etc. prior to the classroom teaching. In the class, the teachers will provide summaries of the different modules of the course, interactive Q&A sessions and will exercise the skills and knowledge required for the exam.

Digital course material available on Canvas: There are about 20 hours of recorded lectures available. When possible, the life sessions will be recorded and made available. The slides used for these lectures are also available online.

Leerresultaten

Algemene competenties

In this course, we focus on two aspects:

A) the acquisition of knowledge on the subject of human and mouse pluripotent stem cells and early embryogenesis

B) the development of the student’s skills in critically assessing scientific work, using the background knowledge imparted in the course

At the end of the course the student must have acquired knowledge on:

  • The processes occurring during early mammalian embryogenesis, and the parallels between the mechanisms of cell fate determination in embryos and pluripotent stem cells.
  • The differences and similarities between mouse and human embryonic development and pluripotent stem cells
  • Reprogramming of cells
  • Basic knowledge on the derivation, characterization and culture of pluripotent stem cells
  • Methods and the principles behind differentiation of pluripotent stem cells
  • Research models developed using pluripotent stem cells
  • Clinical applications of pluripotent stem cells

The student will also be able to:

  • Summarize a scientific paper. The student will be able to identify the aims of the study and the main results. The student will also understand the methodology used to achieve these results and will be able to contextualize the results in the larger framework of the research topic.
  • Critically evaluate scientific work. The student will be able to combine the knowledge acquired during the course, with the study of literature related to the scientific paper under to provide a critical analysis of the paper.
  • Problem solving. The student will be able to formulate specific questions that arise during the reading of a scientific article and will be able to propose relevant experiments.

Extrapolate between scientific fields. The knowledge around methodologies used in stem cell research and parallelisms between embryonic stem cells and in vivo models will allow the student to make a link between clinical embryology, developmental biology and stem cell research.

Beoordelingsinformatie

De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
HOC Praktijkopdracht bepaalt 40% van het eindcijfer

ZELF Praktijkopdracht bepaalt 60% van het eindcijfer

Binnen de categorie HOC Praktijkopdracht dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:

  • HOC met een wegingsfactor 1 en aldus 40% van het totale eindcijfer.

    Toelichting: The three professors will be present during the exam. The students receive a reference list (review articles and original studies). The students choose beforehand two articles from this list that they will prepare for a thorough discussion during the exam of one of the prepared articles. The student is also supposed to know the basic concepts of the course; a number of questions will also cover this.
    HOC: 40 % (oral)
    ZELF: 60 % (oral)

Binnen de categorie ZELF Praktijkopdracht dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:

  • ZELF met een wegingsfactor 1 en aldus 60% van het totale eindcijfer.

    Toelichting: The three professors will be present during the exam. The students receive a reference list (review articles and original studies). The students choose beforehand two articles from this list that they will prepare for a thorough discussion during the exam of one of the prepared articles. The student is also supposed to know the basic concepts of the course; a number of questions will also cover this.
    HOC: 40 % (oral)
    ZELF: 60 % (oral)

Aanvullende info mbt evaluatie

The oral exam consists of two parts, covering the two learning outcomes of the course.

Part 1: 60% of the final score. The student will prepare a scientific article, that will be discussed during the exam. The article will be assigned by the teaching team. The student will present the article in 10 slides, and the professors will ask questions related to the article and overlapping with the concepts taught in the course.

Part 2: 40% of the final score. The student will be questioned on other topics covered in the course and not necessarily linked to the scientific article.

Toegestane onvoldoende
Kijk in het aanvullend OER van je faculteit na of een toegestane onvoldoende mogelijk is voor dit opleidingsonderdeel.

Academische context

Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Master in de biomedische wetenschappen: management en bedrijfsleven
Master in de biomedische wetenschappen: klinische biomedische wetenschappen
Master of Molecular Biology: Standaard traject (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Master in de biologie: onderwijs
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Master of Biomedical Research: Standaard traject (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Educatieve master in de wetenschappen en technologie: biologie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)
Educatieve master in de gezondheidswetenschappen: standaard traject (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)