Infection Microbiology: Virulence and Molecular Microbiology
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
Seats for this course are reserved for PhD students at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at the Graduate School, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. After the enrolment deadline, available seats will be allocated to the waiting list.
The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD students at NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
1. Knowledge:
Describe the different tools used to investigate bacterial genes and regulation.
Describe aspects of pathogenic bacteria, including virulence, resistance, gene regulation and expression.
Understand genetic techniques
2. Skills:
Ability to work in the laboratory with selected experimental techniques and methods with are applied when working with bacteria.
Ability to compare and apply methods to solve microbial problems.
Handle pathogenic bacteria and host models
3. Competences:
Cooperate with fellow students about carrying out and evaluating laboratory experiments.
Carry out molecular microbiology experiments on other bacteria.
Analyse and critically evaluate results.
Have insight into pro´s and con´s when selecting experimental setup.
Content
The theoretical and practical teaching is concentrated in a 2-week period. Lectures and practical exercises will be integrated to obtain a close link between practical and theoretical aspects of the topics covered.
The objective of the course is to give the students a thorough understanding of important subjects within pathogenic bacteria and their ability to cause disease.
The course covers areas as signaling pathways in bacterial virulence, stress response and invasion. The course focuses on how to genetically manipulate bacteria and investigate the function of selected genes.
It provides theoretical insight and hands-on experience with the most important tools required for addressing basic scientific questions using molecular microbiology and a basic hands-on experience with the use of cell cultures in studies of host-pathogenic bacteria interactions.
The course will cover PCR techniques, DNA cloning, gene specific and random mutagenesis, as well as analysis of gene expression using various techniques, including trouble-shooting. Bacterial virulence will be investigated in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (C. elegans).
In the cell culture part of the course, preparation and maintenance of cell cultures, primary cell cultures, adhesion and invasion assays will be covered theoretically and practically.
In addition to a number of practical exercises, the course contains lectures covering the theoretical aspects of the various techniques as well as the potential pitfalls encountered when working with genetic methods in pathogenic bacteria.
The course will present you various different pathogenic bacteria, both in the practical part, but also in the lectures.
Participants
PhD students require a basic knowledge on bacteria and their genetics
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
- Molecular Microbiology and infection
- All graduate programmes
Language
English
Form
Lectures, group work, discussions, poster presentations, laboratory exercises, reading of peer review papers, preparing slides, and presenting project.
Course director
Line Elnif Thomsen, associate Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences/Section for Veterinary Clinical Microbiology. leth@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Associate Professor Line Elnif Thomsen, and staff from responsible department, as well as scientists from other research institutions.
Dates
03.03.2025-14.03.2025
Course location
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Stigboejlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C
Registration
Please register before 03.02.2025
Expected frequency
Once a year in February/March
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules.
Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.