Cell Growth and Differentiation - Translational Research 

The students will be familiarised with the broad spectrum of current research on Cell Growth and Differentiation (NCMLS theme 3). The Translational Research course is scheduled from Fri 19 Nov - Fri 26 Nov 2011. Together with the preceding course "Cell Growth and Differentiation - Core Fundamental " (MM3CF) it forms the Module "Cell Growth and Differentiation".

The students will be familiarised with various aspects of translational research in the field of Cell Growth and Differentiation, ranging from molecule to patient care. Current state-of-the-art technologies will be introduced and their application in various inherited and acquired (cancer) disorders, including target gene discovery, gene expression profiling, mutation scans, genomic profiling, (clinical) imaging and bio-informatics, will be dealt with. In addition, applications in (pre-symptomatic) screening and genetic counselling will be reviewed.

Make students familiar with the clinical appearance of defects in biomolecular interactions and signalling processes that guide growth and development and with the research towards the molecular mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of resulting diseases. Students will gain knowledge of the various diagnostics for disease classification and of the options for treatment. Specifically the students will 

• gain knowledge on molecular and clinical aspects of hereditary cancers, including genetic counselling, 
• obtain an overview of current possibilities in molecular diagnostics of cancer, including micro-array and genomic profiling technologies and target validation, 
• understand the principles and potentials of key imaging techniques in translational research, in particular PET and MR.

This is a core course of the master's programme Molecular Mechanisms of Disease.

Transcription regulation, genetic mechanisms of disease, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, genomics, signal transduction, chemical biology, protein modelling, protein networks, bioinformatics.

The assessment of the course Cell Growth and Differentiation - Translational Research consists of a written test (4 essay questions). The written test must be graded 6.0 or higher to pass the course.

• Assignments and literature references, the main materials for this course, will be provided (See course manual on Blackboard).
• Core textbook: Lodish: Molecular Cell Biology, W.H.Freeman & Co Ltd, 6^th edition (2007); specifically chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 20

Registration for resits to be done in KISS/TIS. Please use registration for MGZW.