Modules
All three semesters are organized into modules offered by Ruhr University Bochum.
Download Module Handbook
Stem Cell Medicine
– Cell cycle control and its implications for stem cell biology
– Principles of vertebrate development
– Gametogenesis and fertilization
– Early development: cleavage, blastocyst, gastrulation
– The three germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm and their derivatives
– Species-specific aspects of development
– Stem cell classification
Stem Cell Biochemistry
– The stem cell niche
– Neural stem cells as a paradigm for stem cell physiology
– Neural development from neural induction to synaptic plasticity
– Signaling processes in stem cells
Regenerative Medicine
– Morphogenesis and tissue engineering
– Biomaterials in tissue engineering
– Stem cells for toxicological and pharmacological assays
– Gene transfer and gene therapy
– Generation of iPSC
– Tissue engineering using adult / pluripotent stem cells
– Cardiovascular / Hematopoietic Cell Engineering
– Isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow aspirate/adipose tissue
– Musculoskeletal / Neural Cell Engineering
– Clinical Experience, Regulations and Ethics
Stem Cell Engineering
– Cloning in prokaryotic vectors, DNA restriction and modification systems, nucleases
– Prokaryotic vector systems, ligation, recombination sites, cDNA synthesis
– Gene expression in E. coli / Protein analysis
– Sequencing techniques / Gene expression analysis / Epigenetic analysis
– Gene transfer and expression / Eukaryotic expression vectors (viral, non-viral)
– Gene targeting / RNA interference (HR, shRNAs, nucleases) / Genome Editing (CRISPR/Cas) / Geno
– Transgenic animals (Constitutive, conditional, inducible mice)
– Generation of iPSCs / Genetic modification of stem cell systems
Stem Cell Lecture Series
– Research and Publication Ethics
– Ethical issues in Biomedical Research
– Cellular Reprogramming
– Cancer / Neural Crest-derived / Mesenchymal / Limbal Stem Cells
– Hematopoiesis / Hematopoietic Stem Cells
– Cell replacement therapy in the brain
– Myogenesis / Muscle Stem Cells
– Stem Cell Epigenetics
– Intracellular Signalling in Stem Cells
– Neural Stem Cell Niche
– Cell Migration in Cancer
– Extracellular Vesicles
– Advances in neonatal stem cells research and application
Biomedical Ethics / Legal Aspects
– Introduction to ethics and bioethics
– The moral status of human embryos and fetuses
– Ethical problems of reproductive medicine
– Stem cell research and therapeutic cloning
– Questions of justice and responsibility concerning patents and the protection of intellectual property
– The ethics of clinical trials
– Moral problems of clinical trials involving stem cells
– Security relevant, important parts of GenTG, GenTSV, BioStoffV
– Biosaftey levels of laboratories, technical facilities and working equipment. Licensing procedures according to GenTG
– Important parts of StZG
Scientific Writing
– Relevant methods available in the lab of choice
– Lab security
– Standards of documentation
– What is a control?
– Structure of research proposals
– Funding agencies
Laboratory Techniques
– Compact laboratory course for two weeks (I)
– Integration of students into laboratory work for six weeks (II)
Laboratory Project & Master Thesis Planning
The contents of this module depend on the choice of host labs. The module provides hands-on experience involving combinations of all techniques taught in the Modules I to V and can thus range from the generation of iPS cells to confocal and/or transmission electron microscopy of mutant or diseased tissues, depending on the interests and profile of the students and the choice of the lab. Specific techniques in preperation for the master thesis are aquired.
Master Thesis ( Third Semester for six months in a laboratory, e.g. October to March )
