Teaching supervisor: Arnaud Echard
This course lets you discover a core scientific discipline, biology, and prepares you for several other 2nd year biology courses, as well as for more advanced, 3rd year programs offered by the Biology department of Biology. This is a basic biology course, designed for students from all scientific origins.
It will reveal the logic of the living world and will show how biology, an expanding scientific discipline, is developing more and more at the interface with physics, chemistry, informatics, mathematics and engineering sciences.
The course will show the distinctive features and the informative molecules (DNA, RNA and proteins) shared by all living organisms. The main regulations controlling RNA and protein production will be detailed. This will enable us to understand how cells regulate their gene expression to answer their needs and adapt to environmental changes. It presents, in a progressive and sometimes deliberately simplified way, the major advances in the biological sciences of the 20th and 21st centuries. The course also provides an understanding of the major contemporary societal issues linked to the life sciences.
Course Language : French.
Experimentation is central to progress in biology. It enables working hypotheses to be tested. Thanks to cycles of hypothesis verification and refinement, we end up with predictive models, despite the great complexity of the objects studied: living beings.
We cannot guarantee that a student will be registered for a specific theme. The distribution of students is based on supply and demand. The following themes are likely to be opened:
- Bioluminescence:
The chemical energy extracted from organic molecules by living beings can be transformed into thermal energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, and even light energy. This last property is more widespread than we think since it exists in several hundred species as diverse as bacteria, fungi and animals. We will study the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. We will use the tools of genetic engineering, biochemistry and biophysics to understand the origin of this fluorescence and how to exploit it in various biotechnological fields. Firefly tail luciferin will also be discussed to understand the origin and mechanism of its bioluminescence.
-Antibodies: from immune defense to clinical diagnosis:
Antibodies, central molecules in the humoral immune response, play an essential role in the prevention of infections. Moreover, thanks to their precise characterization, they have also become essential tools for research, medical diagnosis and therapy, in particular anti-cancer. This Modal aims to characterize the biochemical properties of antibodies as well as to illustrate several examples of the use of antibodies in research and medical diagnosis. The use of a large number of classical techniques of biochemistry and biology also make this Modal an excellent introduction to laboratory work.
- Intracellular imaging:
The organization and dynamics of the cytoskeleton play an essential role in many eukaryotic cell life processes, such as migration, division or intracellular transport. The objective of this Modal is to observe the different components of the cytoskeleton (microtubule and actin filaments) inside human cells. It is an opportunity to introduce multiple techniques in cell biology (culture of human cells, immunocytochemistry, transfection), microscopy and digital modeling.
- Cloning:
This modal allows you to discover the key tools and techniques used daily in laboratories. Baker's yeast dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an essential protein conserved in all eukaryotes. Thanks to its key role in cell growth and metabolism, DHFR is of pharmacological interest. It is the target of the few drugs that are used for the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. We will clone the gene coding for the eukaryotic DHFR in a bacterium, we will induce its expression and we will purify the protein produced. Finally, an enzymatic test will make it possible to functionally characterize the purified protein.
-Synthetic biology: design and construction of synthetic genetic oscillators:
Synthetic biology aims to design and build artificial life forms that perform a given function. Gene regulatory networks are sets of genes that interact with each other and with other molecules, via their expression products, allowing mutual control of their expression levels. One possible approach to synthetic biology is to modify existing genetic networks or design new ones, opening the way to the design of new biological functions. This is a very active area of research with many potential applications. The purpose of this Modal is the study and fabrication of synthetic genetic oscillators, that is to say networks of unnatural genes with an oscillating behavior. It uses the following methods and techniques: modeling of gene networks, genetic engineering, cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis.
The cell is the smallest structure capable of life. It is also the basic building block from which complex organisms are constructed. The aim of this course is to describe the organization and functioning of the cell, as well as how cells assemble into complex organisms. This course introduces cell biology and developmental biology, which are central disciplines in the life sciences, at the interface with many other areas of biology, as well as physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering.
The main topics covered will be:
- the internal organization of the cell (membranes, compartmentalization, transport)
- the integration of the cell within its environment
- the performance of complex functions by a cell, illustrated through two examples (cell division and cell death)
- the construction of a complex multicellular organism (emergence of different cell types, stem cells, establishment of symmetry axes and regionalization, morphogenesis)
BIO_42051_EP provides a solid foundation and is recommended for other second- and third-year biology courses. It complements BIO_41052_EP. It is also an opportunity to explore many current topics: cloning, stem cells, regenerative medicine, CRISPR, gene therapy, cancer, epigenetics…
Each lecture is followed by a tutorials to apply concepts through exercises based on research articles. Assessment is based on a final exam (exercises based on articles, open-book). Multiple-choice quizzes and homework assignments are offered each week.
Note to BCPST students. As BIO451 covers the basics of cell and developmental biology, it is inevitably redundant with many of the concepts found in BCPST. However, it does so from a slightly different perspective, and some chapters (e.g. apoptosis) are new.
Experimentation is central to progress in biology. It enables working hypotheses to be tested. Thanks to cycles of hypothesis verification and refinement, we end up with predictive models, despite the great complexity of the objects studied: living beings.
We cannot guarantee that a student will be registered for a specific theme. The distribution of students is based on supply and demand. The following themes are likely to be opened:
- Bioluminescence:
The chemical energy extracted from organic molecules by living beings can be transformed into thermal energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, and even light energy. This last property is more widespread than we think since it exists in several hundred species as diverse as bacteria, fungi and animals. We will study the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. We will use the tools of genetic engineering, biochemistry and biophysics to understand the origin of this fluorescence and how to exploit it in various biotechnological fields. Firefly tail luciferin will also be discussed to understand the origin and mechanism of its bioluminescence.
-Antibodies: from immune defense to clinical diagnosis:
Antibodies, central molecules in the humoral immune response, play an essential role in the prevention of infections. Moreover, thanks to their precise characterization, they have also become essential tools for research, medical diagnosis and therapy, in particular anti-cancer. This Modal aims to characterize the biochemical properties of antibodies as well as to illustrate several examples of the use of antibodies in research and medical diagnosis. The use of a large number of classical techniques of biochemistry and biology also make this Modal an excellent introduction to laboratory work.
- Intracellular imaging:
The organization and dynamics of the cytoskeleton play an essential role in many eukaryotic cell life processes, such as migration, division or intracellular transport. The objective of this Modal is to observe the different components of the cytoskeleton (microtubule and actin filaments) inside human cells. It is an opportunity to introduce multiple techniques in cell biology (culture of human cells, immunocytochemistry, transfection), microscopy and digital modeling.
- Cloning:
This modal allows you to discover the key tools and techniques used daily in laboratories. Baker's yeast dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an essential protein conserved in all eukaryotes. Thanks to its key role in cell growth and metabolism, DHFR is of pharmacological interest. It is the target of the few drugs that are used for the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. We will clone the gene coding for the eukaryotic DHFR in a bacterium, we will induce its expression and we will purify the protein produced. Finally, an enzymatic test will make it possible to functionally characterize the purified protein.
-Synthetic biology: design and construction of synthetic genetic oscillators:
Synthetic biology aims to design and build artificial life forms that perform a given function. Gene regulatory networks are sets of genes that interact with each other and with other molecules, via their expression products, allowing mutual control of their expression levels. One possible approach to synthetic biology is to modify existing genetic networks or design new ones, opening the way to the design of new biological functions. This is a very active area of research with many potential applications. The purpose of this Modal is the study and fabrication of synthetic genetic oscillators, that is to say networks of unnatural genes with an oscillating behavior. It uses the following methods and techniques: modeling of gene networks, genetic engineering, cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis.
What is the current state of natural ecosystems? Should one be concerned about the disappearance of many species? Why is the distribution of biodiversity on Earth not homogeneous? Are there any rules underlying the distribution of biodiversity? What do we know about the evolution of life on Earth? Why are there more and more invasive species? What can be done to save endangered species? What can be done to ensure that our planet remains habitable for future generations?
The aim of this course is to present the main concepts and ideas in the evolutionary and environmental sciences that are useful for thinking about these issues.
To understand and preserve biodiversity, and more generally to understand the living world, it is necessary to understand the relationships between species, the factors controlling population dynamics, the forces determining the degree of genetic diversity of a species, its adaptation to its environment, and the forces generating species. This course will therefore focus on explaining the basics of evolution and ecology.
Course Language: French
This course illustrates some pathologies and current methods to take charge of them. The pathologies chosen are those that represent the greatest challenges for our developed societies. This biomedical course highlights the biological substrate of pathologies and treatments as well as the economy of health.
The 10 blocks are:
- Genetic diseases and gene therapy
- Animal models
- Medicine
- Neuropsychiatry
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Diabetes
- The origins of tumors
- Therapies of tumors
- Aging and tumors
- Checking
It is suggested to have assimilated the courses of Molecular Biology and genetic information and Cell Biology and Development that precede this course.
These are not mandatory prerequisites, fundamental notions will be reviewed and the course aspires to be followed by any student who has an interest in biology and medicine. It should be pointed out that this course requires a lot of personal investment for those who have not done biology beforehand.
Course Language: French
Experimentation is central to advances in biology. It enables working hypotheses to be tested. Thanks to cycles of hypothesis, verification and refinement, we end up with predictive models, despite the great complexity of the objects studied: living beings.
We cannot guarantee that a student will be registered for a specific theme. The distribution of students is based on supply and demand. The following themes are likely to be opened:
- Bioluminescence:
The chemical energy extracted from organic molecules by living beings can be transformed into thermal energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, and even light energy. This last property is more widespread than we think since it exists in several hundred species as diverse as bacteria, fungi and animals. We will study the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. We will use the tools of genetic, biochemistry and biophysics to understand the origin of this fluorescence and how to exploit it in various biotechnological fields. Firefly tail luciferin will also be discussed to understand the origin and mechanism of its bioluminescence.
-Antibodies: from immune defense to clinical diagnosis:
Antibodies, central molecules in the humoral immune response, play an essential role in the prevention of infections. Moreover, thanks to their precise characterization, they have also become essential tools for research, medical diagnosis and therapy, in particular anti-cancer.
- Intracellular imaging:
The organization and dynamics of the cytoskeleton play an essential role in many eukaryotic cell life processes, such as migration, division or intracellular transport.
- Cloning:
This modal allows you to discover the key tools and techniques used daily in laboratories. Baker's yeast dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an essential protein conserved in all eukaryotes. Thanks to its key role in cell growth and metabolism, DHFR is of pharmacological interest. It is the target of the few drugs that are used for the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. We will clone the gene coding for the eukaryotic DHFR in a bacterium, we will induce its expression and we will purify the protein thus produced. Finally, an enzymatic test will make it possible to functionally characterize the purified protein.
-Synthetic biology: design and construction of synthetic genetic oscillators:
Synthetic biology aims to design and build artificial life forms that perform a given function. Gene regulatory networks are sets of genes that interact with each other and with other molecules, via their expression products, allowing mutual control of their expression levels. One possible approach to synthetic biology is to modify existing genetic networks or design new ones, opening the way to the design of new biological functions. This is a very active field of research with numerous potential applications.
