MABIO4210 Methods in Biochemistry and Cell Biology Course description

The course forms a theoretical and practical basis for assessing choices and methods that are relevant both in current and future medical diagnostics and research. This comprises immunological, biochemical, cell and molecular biology methods. A selection of these methods are used in the practical work.

The course is offered as an individual course if there are vacant places. Admission requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in medical laboratory sciences, pharmacy, biotechnology, chemical engineering or molecular biology.

Students must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health and Technology - Specialisation in Biomedicine.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can demonstrate in-depth knowledge of structural and molecular variation, such as sequence variation, length variation and copy number variation, and mechanisms leading to genetic variation
• can interpret and analyse how genetic variation can lead to disease
• can assess and interpret the results of screening methods used in medical genetics and high-throughput methods (NGS) used for molecular genetic research
• can demonstrate advanced knowledge of the principles behind methods and their areas of application
• can account for and discuss the scope of application for homology analysis tools for DNA and RNA analyses and relevant sequence databases

Skills

The student

• can carry out independent basic analyses using the PCR technique, DNA sequencing, fragment analysis and qPCR
• can independently assess the suitability of methods and apply it to the development of diagnostic methods
• can understand and interpret quantitative qPCR results on an independent basis
• can use basic homology analysis tools for research and method development

General competence

The student

• can take a critical approaching when becoming familiarised with new methods and apparatuses used in biomedicine (including NGS platforms) regarding their areas of application, possibilities and limitations

Work and teaching methods include lectures, laboratory courses, including skills training in the form of lab exercises, seminars, group work (study groups/PBL) and self-study.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam: 

• minimum attendance of 80% at laboratory courses
• minimum attendance of 80% at seminars
• three individual lab reports based on specified criteria.

Supervised individual written exam, 4 hours

The paper can be written in English or a Scandinavian language.

A handheld calculator that cannot be used for wireless communication or to perform symbolic calculations. If the calculator’s internal memory can store data, the memory must be deleted before the exam. Random checks may be carried out.

Grade scale A-F.

All answers are assessed by two examiners. An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum for every third ordinary examination. If selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 10 answers. The external examiner’s assessment shall form the basis for the assessment of the remaining answers.

10 credits overlap with MABIO4400 Genomic Analysis.