The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms. The aim of this course is to describe how the cell is organized and functions, and how a complex organism is built up from these elementary building blocks. This course introduces students to cell biology and developmental biology, central disciplines in the life sciences, at the interface with many other aspects of biology, as well as with physics, chemistry, computer science and engineering.
The main topics covered will be
- The cell is the most basic structure necessary for life. It is therefore interesting to understand what a cell is, how it is organized and how it functions. 6 lectures are dedicated to these questions. In particular, they cover
- the internal organization of the cell (membranes, compartmentalization, trafficking)
- the integration of the cell into its environment
- Cell division and death. These two major cellular "functions" provide an opportunity to see how the cell can use simple molecules and chemical reactions to control complex functions and make decisions such as dividing or committing suicide.
The cell is also the building block from which more complex organisms are constructed. Developmental biology seeks to understand this process and to answer questions such as
- How is it that the adult organism contains so many different cells, even though they all originate from a single cell?
- How do axes of symmetry and differences along these axes (head on one side, feet on the other) arise? Are these axes present in the egg?
- How can we build complex shapes and organs instead of just a bunch of cells?
BIO451 provides a solid, recommended foundation for the other biology courses in the second year and in the third year. It complements BIO452. It is also an opportunity to explore many current topics: cloning, stem cells, regenerative medicine, crispr, gene therapy, cancer, epigenetics...
- Teaching coordinator: David Nicolas
- Teaching coordinator: Nicol Xavier
- Teaching coordinator: Schneider Benoit