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MF9410 - Principles of Stem Cell Biology

Course content

The course consists of 5 one-hour introductory lectures and a series of 6-10 shorter presentations featuring frontiers of current stem cell research. Course instructors are leading researchers in stem cell biology. Introductory lectures:

• Basics of stem cell biology (stem cell origins and plasticity)
• Tumor stem cells
• Stem cell epigenetics
• microRNAs and stem cell regulation
• Current clinical applications of stem cells

Learning outcomes

Students will learn about:

• The different types of stem cells, how they are derived and the extent of their plasticity.
• How tumor stem cells give rise to metastases and treatment-resistant remnant cells that cause relapse, and how this impacts on the development of future cancer treatment strategies
• How epigenetic mechanisms encompassing various DNA modifications and histone dynamics are involved in regulating the potentiality and differentiation of stem cells
• How microRNAs are involved in regulating stem cell differentiation
• How stem cells are currently being used in the clinic and what kinds of future treatments lie on the horizon. Students will also be exposed to current Norwegian projects lying at the frontier of stem cell research

Admission

Ph.D. candidates at the University of Oslo and students at the Medical Student Research Programme will get first priority to the course. External applicants will be admitted if there are any available places.

The Studentweb is open for registration from 1st June to 1st September.

Registration form for external applicants opens 1st June.
Final date for registration is 1st September

Maximum number of participants is 50.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisites

Students should have a lower university degree in natural sciences, preferably within the biological sciences, but
other backgrounds will also be considered

Recommended prior knowledge

Background reading material will be provided prior to course start.

Teaching

The course consists of 5 one-hour introductory lectures and a series of 6-10 shorter presentations featuring
frontiers of current stem cell research. This is a one-day course.

NB! You have to participate in at least 80 % of the teaching to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance at lectures will be registered.

Exam information

There will be a written take-home exam with a deadline of 1 week after the course. Grading: Pass/fail.

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Evaluation of this course

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. As a student at the University of Oslo you will therefore be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses, facilities and services. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of this course, a so called "periodic evaluation".

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