Approaches in Precision and Personalized Biomedicine - Einzelansicht

Contact person: Jirko Kühnisch ( jirko.kuehnisch@mdc-berlin.de)

This course will only be offered in summer 2022!

Content of the lecture

The lecture and seminar cover concepts and approaches of translational biomedicine and research. Throughout the last decades, preclinical research and translation into therapeutic approaches has been fundamentally changed towards precision and personalized biomedicine. Related to this topic, the lecture will comprise key definitions/terms, underlying physiological as well as pathophysiological concepts, biochemical signaling pathways, cell biological mechanisms, associated genetic concepts, and regulatory/legal aspects. The theoretical concepts will be presented and explained using specific translational success stories. The selected examples will cover fields of gene therapy, cell-based treatments, small molecule approaches, antibody therapy, and approaches involving biologicals. A central part of the lecture series will be covered by genetically caused entities allowing precise diagnostic differentiation and precision medicine approaches. In that context disease entities of the cardiovascular system such as myopathy, of the musculoskeletal system such as osteoporosis, and breast cancer will be discussed.

Qualification Aims

This lecture series and seminar will teach students a basic molecular as well as pathomechanistic understanding of disease entities required to recognize the associated precision medicine therapies. A key aspect of the lecture and seminar is to learn the interdisciplinary concepts involving basic natural sciences, preclinical research, and clinical research. In addition, the lecture will address associated and critically important topics such as precision diagnosis and regulatory aspects. This lecture module should attract master students that are interested in genetic, molecular, cellular topics of disease and therapy.

The seminar will introduce the topic ”precision medicine” by covering related original research literature. This involves critical reading and evaluation of the original literature. The student will present the research article including some required background information in a talk of 20 minutes. The conclusion of the research work should be critically discussed. The students will be enabled to present a research study to a scientific auditorium and to manage a scientific discussion. The talks and discussions should further motivate the students to select future directions of their own research interest.

Oral presentation of an original research work, 20 minutes; 70%

Discussion of the research work; 30%