Biological Sciences

The course provides a fundamental knowledge of genetics. It covers how traits are passed from one generation to the next, the role of genes in biological functions, methods for mapping genes to chromosomes and predicting risk of transmission of monogenic pathologies, and methods to characterize and/or create an animal model for a genetic disease.

Knowledge of foodborne microorganisms is essential for supplying safe and wholesome foods with a long shelf life. This course offers an introduction to the basics of food microbiology and discusses both the negative aspects of micro-organisms, such as spoilage and disease and the positive effects of fermentative processes. Characteristics of food that influence growth and inactivation of micro-organisms (e.g. water activity, pH, preservatives, heating, modified atmosphere packaging) are reviewed. The course provides a detailed introduction to the main bacterial foodborne pathogens (e.g. Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes) and methods for microbial examination, but also deals with foodborne viruses, parasites, and fungi. Moreover, good manufacturing practices, personal hygiene, and the principles of cleaning and disinfection are explained. In a three-week lab class, spoilage organisms and pathogens are isolated from food products and environments using traditional and molecular methods. In the tutorial classes, molecular identification methods are explored, and the effect of several bactericidal treatments is investigated.

This course reviews how genetic factors that influence human traits are identified. The traits focused on are human diseases, but the techniques can be applied to a wide field of subjects. The background knowledge necessary to understand and apply the different methods, the molecular laboratory techniques (theoretically), and the approaches to finding causal variants for human heritable diseases are taught. Students practice using the vast number of databases containing human genetic information. The subjects can roughly be divided into two main groups: Organization and evolution of genomes and genes and identification of mutations that influence human diseases. Requirements for admission include a knowledge of the structure and organization of DNA; the processes of meiosis and mitosis, including recombination; transcription and translation; gene expression; laboratory techniques such as PCR, restriction enzymes, and DNA-hybridization. 

This course examines target organ toxicology (lung, liver, CNS), environmental toxicology (such as asbestos and pesticides) and the diverse world of plant and animal toxins. The fundamental mechanisms for toxic reactions in the human body will be explored. As a final consequence of exposure to many toxicants, the biology and causes of cancer are discussed. As part of the course, students will be introduced to methods for the collection and analysis of data from human and animal populations, including clinical trials, forensic problems and epidemiological data. 

This course gives students an understanding of the intricate relationship between human health and the immune system. It provides students with tools to critically review and understand the current knowledge (sometimes contradictory) behind what we know about the origin of the disease, its clinical phenotype, and its treatment. In order to do so, an expert in the field is invited to lecture each week on a specific disease/condition, ranging from autoimmune disorders and viral infections to cancer and aging. Students also gain an understanding of how the immune system’s power can be harnessed for new therapeutic avenues that are currently explored.

This course offers a study of bioinformatics methodologies. Topics include: introduction to programming; processing and analysis of biological sequence data; modeling and simulation of molecular dynamics; genomics and metagenomics; transcriptomics.

This course introduces the molecular biology and the biological hallmarks of cancer. It describes different cancer types, the oncogenes or tumor suppressors that are known to cause cancer and the signaling pathways that are perturbed in cancer. Furthermore, it discusses the different hallmarks of cancer, such as cell proliferation and death, invasion and metastasis, and metabolism. The course also covers current therapeutic approaches to different cancers and current research trends in cancer biology. 

This course covers basic molecular and cell biology fields together with its methodologies, providing the class opportunities to read scientific papers. Special emphases will be on the biologists’ way of thinking as well as the basic concepts on the gene/protein structure and function. The course covers:

1. Logic and basic concepts in biology: How does a biologist work and what does a biologist know?  

2. Methods in biology: What kind of techniques does a biologist employ?  

3. Specific topics dealing with the cell structure and function.

The course offers a study of the concept and method of psychobiology, evolution, development and inheritance, comparative and evolutionary psychology, and principles of cell signaling and transmission in the nervous system. 

This course introduces the fundamentals of tropical horticulture, with emphasis on the situation in Singapore, a tropical garden city. Topics include plant growth and development and factors affecting them; pests and diseases and their control; growing media; plant nutrition; tropical urban horticulture of ornamentals; vegetable and fruit crops, and native plants; vertical and roof gardening; turf grass management; landscape design; organic methods and impact of horticulture on conservation. Field trips, demonstrations, and projects enable students to enjoy hands-on experience in cultivating plants.