The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning outcomes

The primary objective of the course is to provide the students with the basic knowledge of various key molecular networks, signalling pathways, as well as molecular hubs and clocks that control fundamental cellular processes. The course will also give an overall perspective of how deregulation of these molecular networks is critical for human pathogenesis.
In the practical part of the course, the biological effects associated with the perturbation of some signalling pathways during embryonic development and cell proliferation will be analysed by the students. Practical experiences will include the use of animal models, immunohistochemistry techniques, imaging acquisition as well as data collection and analysis. The active participation of the students will be encouraged through the organization of working groups and individual preparation of the samples to be analysed.

Program

- General Principles of Cell Signaling
- mTOR signaling: overview in normal cells, misregulation in disease, therapeutic strategies
- mTOR signaling: paper discussion
- Hedgehog signaling: overview in normal cells, misregulation in disease, therapeutic strategies
- Hedgehog signaling: paper discussion
- Wnt–bcatenin signaling: overview in normal cells, misregulation in disease, therapeutic strategies
- Wnt–bcatenin signaling: paper discussion
- pRb-E2F-cell cycle control: overview in normal cells, misregulation in disease, therapeutic strategies
- pRb-E2F-cell cycle control: paper discussion
- DNA damage response: overview in normal cells, misregulation in disease, therapeutic strategies
- DNA damage response: paper discussion

Examination Methods

Written:
- Multiple choice questions
- Open-ended questions