Course syllabus for Systems biology

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-26 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSystembiologi
  • CodeKMG060
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPBIO
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyBioengineering
  • DepartmentBIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 08133
  • Maximum participants60 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0107 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		7.5 c
  • 21 Okt 2023 am J
  • 05 Jan 2024 pm J
  • 27 Aug 2024 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics (linear algebra, multivariable analysis, differential equations), cell and molecular biology.

Aim

The aim of the course is to give the students a fundamental understanding of: 1) how mathematical modeling of biological systems can be used to gain novel biological insight and 2) how high-throughput biological data can be analyzed. The overall objective is that by passing this course the students should have a solid overview of how systems biology impacts modern medical, biotechnological and nutritional research.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

A student that has passed the course is expected to be able to:
  • Describe the principles of systems biology

  • Describe key cellular processes like transcription, translation, signaling and protein secretion in a quantitative fashion

  • Use matrix notation to describe the stoichiometry of metabolic networks

  • Describe metabolic network reconstruction based on biochemical and genomic information

  • Describe how genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) can be used for analysis of cellular physiology

  • Describe how constraints and objective functions are underlying principles of flux balance analysis

  • Describe the use of genome-scale metabolic models in research on human disease

  • Describe how meta-omics data can be analyzed

  • Describe the principles of RNAseq

  • Describe the principles of proteomics

  • Describe the principles of metabolomics

  • Give 5 examples of how GEMs can be used in modern biology

Content

The course gives a description of how systems biology is impacting medicine, biotechnology and nutrition. The core of systems biology is quantitative analysis of cellular functions and in the course all key cellular processes will be discussed in a quantitative fashion. The course will give insight into how metabolic networks can be reconstructed from biochemical and genomic information. Topological analysis of large genome-scale metabolic models (GEM) will be performed and the basic principles for operation of large metabolic networks will be discussed and analyzed. The course will also give a brief introduction to different methods for generating so-called omics data, e.g. transcriptome, proteome and metabolome data, and how these can be analyzed. Finally, the course will present, using quantitative data, what are key drivers for cellular growth and what are constraining cellular growth. Throughout the course there will be given examples from studies of yeast, nutritional studies, and from analysis of clinical data.

Organisation

The course involves lectures and computer exercises.

Literature

Research papers and other relevant material will be provided to the students in digital form, together with slides and exercises. This material will be made available at the course page in Canvas.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination in this course will be in the form of a four hour written exam. Reports from all exercises have to be approved for passing the course.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2024-02-21: Block Block changed from C to C+ by Lina Haglund
      [Course round 1]