General provisions

The course is offered as part of the Master's programmes in the Faculty of Medicine.

Entry requirements

Admitted to the Master's Programme in Medical Research.

Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies.

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide theoretical knowledge of current biomedical methods and their practical application during the design, performance, analysis and troubleshooting phases of the research projects.

On completion of the course, the student shall be able to:

• Interpret and critically evaluate scientific findings and methodological development in the field of biomedicine
• ​Understand and explain principles of basic and advanced research methodology to isolate, modify and characterize nucleic acids and proteins of interest (e.g. DNA/RNA/protein isolation, PCR, sequencing technologies and analysis, masspectrometry, expression of recombinant proteins, NMR etc.)
• Assess and construct experimental strategies for functional characterization of nucleic acids and proteins in a research project
• Evaluate and discuss the relationship between study design and methodology, as well as bioinformatic and statistical analysis methods
• Recognize and critically validate the advantages and limitations of different experimental model systems and study designs
• Understand what work according to a scientific approach entails, how scientific studies are evaluated, how ethical considerations are applied in research, and how scientific information is communicated.

Content

The course describes a broad spectrum of molecular biology techniques used in current biomedical research with the aim to give the student a thorough understanding on possibilities and pitfalls of these techniques. The scope of methodology from handling DNA sequences, to protein characterization and analysis at a cellular level shall equip the student with a capacity to understand and apply these methods in future research, and also to be able to critically interpret other researchers´ data.

Instruction

Teaching is performed in English and consists of lectures, complemented with student activating mandatory education (seminars, journal clubs, assignments and laboratory sessions).

Assessment

Examination includes a written exam graded fail (U), pass (G) or pass with distinction (VG). The complementary assignments are examined at seminars or through oral and/or written reports and will be graded fail (U) or pass (G) only.

To pass the course the students have to attend and be active in all compulsory sessions. The final grade of the course is based on a weighted rating of all course sections. Possibility to complete non-approved mandatory assignments may be given at the next course opportunity, at the earliest, and only in case of vacancy. Students who have failed the first examination are allowed five re-examinations.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the indicated method of evaluation and allow a student to be assessed using another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's coordinator for special support.