Type of course

Course content

The course includes relevant techniques for biomedical research including cell culturing, detection and expression of DNA, RNA and proteins, imaging, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, molecular modelling, inhibition kinetics and other methods used at our core facilities and by the research groups at the department. In each exercise, the students will also learn to do relevant safety evaluations.

The exercise list are not necessarily in the same order as the exercise will appear during the course.

Short list of exercise content:

1) Safety course: This part is an intensive course for students and employees at UiT and will provide safety skills relevant to lab work. Obligatory parts: EHS work, biological substances, use of gloves, allergy, liquid nitrogen and gas under pressure.

2) Exercise - Myocardial metabolism - from organ to isolated mitochondria (1 week): The students will be introduced to different techniques for assessment of metabolism at the organ and subcellular level. The exercise will include a demonstration of oxygen consumption in isolated perfused hearts, as well as "hands on" experience with high-resolution respirometry in tissue homogenate and isolated mitochondria.

3) Exercise - Histological investigations by Immunohistochemistry and Immunoelectron Microscopy (2 weeks): The students are introduced to various methods for preserving tissue samples for histological investigations. Demonstrations and practical exercises in Immunohistochemistry and Immunoelectron microscopy are given.

4) Exercise - Detection of human polyomaviruses in urine and comparison of the promoter strength from different polyomaviruses (2 weeks): In this exercise the students will learn and perform PCR-based detection of viral DNA, agarose gel electrophoresis, cloning, transformation of bacteria, DNA isolation, DNA sequencing, transfection of mammalian cells, luciferase assay, and western blotting.

5) Exercise - Enzyme inhibition kinetics and molecular modelling (2 weeks): In the first part of this exercise, the student will study enzyme activity measurements and the use of reversible and irreversible inhibition assays. In the other part, the students will study molecular modeling and docking.

6) Exercise - Protein investigations (2 weeks): In this exercise, students will perform purification of recombinant proteins, protein concentration determinations and GST-pulldown assay. Sample preparation for identification of proteins from SDS-PAGE by mass spectroscopy (MS) will be performed.

7) Exercise - Confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and live cell imaging (2 weeks): This exercise introduces the use of flow cytometry and advanced light microscopy in biomedical research. Students will explore applications using immunofluorescence and use GFP for time-lapse imaging in living cells.

8) Exercise - Bacterial adherence and intracellular survival in human cells and host response measured in cytokine production (2 weeks): From this exercise students should understand how to explore and compare bacterial adherence, internalization and survival abilities to human cells and understand how this influence the cytokine production by the host.

Objectives of the course

The overall aim of the course is to make students able to perform modern basic laboratory methods that may be required to accomplish their master degree research projects. After the course, students will be able to

- perform independently the selected methods in the course and discuss the results obtained

- explain the selected methods with emphasis on the usefulness and limitations of the methods in biomedical research

- describe the methods that are demonstrated in the course and underline their applicability in research

- write a report including a proper discussion of results obtained.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

Assessment

The exam consists of 7 part exams, i.e. one written laboratory report for each of the 7 parts of the course. Laboratory reports are to be submitted and assessed continuously after each lab exercise is finished. All 7 reports must be passed in order to pass the course. Students will be evaluated with pass/fail.

In order to start work on the Master's thesis, students must have passed 5 out of 7 reports (exams).

Re-sit exam Candidates who fail, will be allowed to resubmit a corrected version of the failed laboratory report early in the following semester.

If a candidate fails the re-sit exam, the candidate must follow the entire course the following year.

Course work requirements: Participation in the safety course, and participation in all seven sections of the laboratory exercises is mandatory. Students should be prepared for full day activities throughout the semester, including work on the seven compulsory reports.

If unauthorized absence is higher than 20% in any of the seven exercises, the students need to repeat the entire course next time the course runs.

Students are encouraged to obtain feedback on the progress of their reports from teachers.

Recommended reading/syllabus