Model organisms in human disease: the right organism for a specific question

8 - 12 July 2019

Anf. 8 FFUP/ICBAS, University of Porto

Model organisms such as baker’s yeast, bacteria, nematodes, fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice have become powerful tools in modern research, providing valuable information about human disease at multiple levels, from molecules to behavior. In this course, we will explore current models of human diseases, including neurodegeneration and cancer. Our goal will be to understand what makes these organisms such excellent experimental models in medical research, as well as the strategies used to build appropriate models of human disease to address specific biological or medical questions. The course will discuss major discoveries made with these organisms, their advantages and disadvantages, and how the knowledge gained can be translated to other organisms, including humans.

Major learning goals will include:

• Explore current models of human diseases: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, Zebrafish, and mice;

• Understand the type of research that may benefit from the use of model organisms;

• Determine the type of model organism more suitable to address specific research questions;

• Describe how genetic manipulation of organisms can be performed and what it is used for;

• Design simple experiments with model organisms.

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Registration

Limited number of registrations (70)

Registration deadline: July 3, 2019

Registration fees:

Students from BiotechHealth: 0 €

Students from University of Porto: 50 €

Students external to University of Porto: 75 €

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