Biological Sciences

Recent advances in genomics have significantly revolutionized the ways which we do science in the 21st century. With the completion of the human genome, the new genome technologies have transformed our ability to understand the structure and function of genomes and to explore the genomes of multicellular organisms. This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students, who are interested in this exciting and rapidly evolving field, the basic knowledge of genome and the state-of-the-art genome technologies. The lectures will cover an introduction on genome projects, sequencing technologies, genetic variation, transcriptomics, proteomics, functional genomics, comparative genomics, metagenomics and epigenomics.  

This course begins with an introduction to Bacteriology and Virology. The general principles of replication, classification, metabolism and antibiotic resistance of bacteria as well as the presence of bacteria in several organ systems and the composition of the indigenous flora are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of the general principles of replication, classification, and pathogenesis of viruses. Several aspects of bacteriology and virology are further discussed in the expert and tutorial group meetings, which include topics as HIV, Tuberculosis, and extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). The following lectures coverinfectious diseases, outbreaks and resistance, and microbiological diagnostics. In these topics, both the bacterial and viral aspects are discussed. The last part of this course deals with genetically modified microorganisms, in which students gain insight in the purposes of modification and the tools that are available. In the Problem-Based Learning tutorial group linked to this part of the course, students design their own experiment.

This course is aimed at students who are studying molecular biology for the first time. Molecular biology is an indispensable common language for explaining life phenomena in various fields of biology. The teaching content is divided into three parts: DNA, RNA, and protein, which are taught by Zhang Li, Shen Tanglong, and Lv Yiru from the Zhiwei Department.

This course deals with the integrative regulation of processes by hormones, in particular the regulation of energy, growth, stress, and reproduction. Basic principles are discussed first, such as homeostasis, hormonal axes, feedback mechanisms, biochemical structure of hormones, and structure and function of their receptors. Then the functional anatomy and histology of the endocrine organs are discussed, followed by the discussion of hormones that play a role in metabolism (including gut hormones and adipocytokines) and during growth, stress, and reproduction. During this course, specific attention is given to academic skills such as analyzing a scientific research paper and writing a scientific paper.