Introduction to cellular and molecular biology: the chemical properties of life, basic cell structure and function, metabolism, DNA and DNA replication, gene expression and regulation.

Principles of biochemistry; molecular and cell biology. General introduction to cell structure and function. Genetics, bioenergetics, anatomy and physiology; introduction to biotechnology.

Cellular electrophysiology and membrane potential, electro-physical characteristics of the nervous systems, animal physiology and cell physiology, sensory and motor mechanisms, animal organ systems, digestive and endocrine systems, transport and excretory system, animal reproductive systems, immune system and defense mechanisms against infection.

General topics in genetics, including phage and bacterial genetics, the molecular mechanisms of meiosis, complementation tests, recombination frequency and linkage, and sex determination. This course will also explore genetic approaches to characterizing proteins and pathways.

Human Genetics: the mapping of traits within the human genome, genetic markers, imprinting and heritable epigenetic marks, both Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetic diseases, disease associated with multiple loci, and new technologies used to investigate the genetic causes of illness.

Protein characterization, enzyme kinetics, basic metabolic pathways, membrane structure and function, biochemistry of energy and signal transduction, replication and expressions of genes.

Student will extend their knowledge from Biochemistry I by exploring the biochemistry of signal transduction, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the Krebs cycle, photosynthesis, fatty acids, steroids, nucleic acids, and amino acids.

Introduction to macromolecules and to key topics of cellular and molecular biology; the emphasis will be on DNA replication, gene transcription, small RNA mediated gene regulation, RNA processing, proteins translation, protein trafficking, mutagenesis, cell division and apoptosis.

Essentials of how signaling within and between cells allows organization into functional tissues and organs: including the topics of cell adhesion and locomotion, cell polarity, immunology, tumorigenesis, intercellular signaling, cell and tissue size, the function of tissue organizers, specification of the general body plan, regeneration, developmental timing, and aging.

Students will carry out independent research under the supervision of a faculty in the field of molecular biology and genetics.

Students will carry out independent research under the supervision of a faculty in the field of molecular biology and genetics.

How do cells generate, store, and use the energy that they require? This course will cover in great depth the processes of oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, and photosynthesis. In addition, energy acquisition by chemotrophic organisms will be discussed.

Molecular details of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Subject areas will include immune recognition, immunosuppression, communication between different immune system cell types, and autoimmunity.

The key areas of RNA biology, structure and function; splicing, polyadenylation, transport, translation and decay of mRNAs; the regulatory mechanisms governed by noncoding RNAs such as siRNAs, miRNAs and long noncoding RNAs.

This course covers the cell and molecular biology of pathogenic organisms, such as malaria, trypanosomes, toxoplasma, and parasitic yeast. Topics will include organism life cycles, host invasion strategies, methods of immune system evasion, and the evolution of parasites.

Proteomics and function, fundamentals of mass spectrometry (MS), tandem MS, chemical and posttranslational modifications, protein identification, data mining, protein complexes, protein folding, MS genotyping, high throughput; recently developed proteomics methods and their applications; focus on the recent scientific literature in this field including quantitative comparison of healthy and disease proteomes, the comprehensive analysis of protein-protein interactions in different cell types, and new approaches to analyze cellular signaling pathways and the subcellular-organelle and cell surface proteomes.

Cells have elaborate mechanisms for controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. In this course, we will explore in molecular detail the intricate signaling pathways that are important for cell behavior, with a major focus on those pathways that are conserved widely among many species.

Fundamental aspects of the molecular and cellular biology of tumor formation and cancer cells. Topics include cell cycle, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, the tumor's interaction with other cells and tissues, approaches to treating cancer, and novel experimental approaches for the discovery of mutations that contribute to tumorigenesis.

Broad cross section of methodological approaches including cloning, genomic strategies, single molecule and single cell-based studies, in situ localization, high troughput approaches such as RNAi, gene expression analysis, genetic approaches with model systems as well as techniques for protein analysis.

The journey of a fertilized egg to turn into a fully developed adult, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the animal development in two vertebrate (mouse, fish) and two invertebrate (fly, worm) models; body plan formation, organogenesis, morphogenesis, regeneration and ageing.

Function of different neuronal cell types and the larger organization of the mammalian nervous system: The topics include the molecular details of synaptic connectivity and its relationship to learning and memory and the causes of neurodegenerative disease.

The key concepts and techniques related to the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cytoskeleton including the molecular mechanism of the core building blocks, nucleators, molecular motors and regulators of actin and microtubule cytoskeleton and intermediate filaments, roles of the cytoskeleton in the physiology of individual cells, tissues and organisms and their implications in human disease, emerging techniques to study the cytoskeletal components such as advanced microscopy.

Fundamental aspects of molecular and cellular biology of cancers with respect to developing cancer therapies; basic principles of cancer treatment, molecularly targeted therapies, cytotoxic therapies, drug discovery approaches, drug delivery systems, cell-based and gene therapies; discussion of research and review articles.

Stem cell biology at the intersection of developmental/cell biology and medicine; overview of stem cell biology in the context of embryonic development, tissue maintenance and cancer. Embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, reprogramming and differentiation, stem cells in adult tissues and cancer, therapeutic applications of stem cells. Advanced molecular and cellular techniques to study, generate and manipulate stem cells.