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Revision as of 00:20, 17 October 2018
iGEM Lecture Series
As a part of our project we actively contribute to our universitie’s teaching program by organizing a lecture series followed by an open discussion on specialized topics related to our project. Until now, we had talks on Norovirus, Malaria and Primer and Probe Design. Currently we are preparing the next talks for the following semester.
Our first lecture was held by our PI Prof. Dr. Jochen Bodem. As a professor of virology, he delivered interesting insights into the molecular biology of Norovirus. We discussed the mechanisms how the virus is infiltrating the human cells, its replication and the damage caused by an infection leading to the typical symptoms of a gastrointestinal disease.
Prof. Dr. Christian Janzen, an expert on protozoan parasites especially Trypanosoma, gave a fascinating talk on Malaria. He started with some basic facts about the historic background and the worldwide incidences of the disease followed by details about the biochemistry of plasmodium, the different subtypes of the pathogen and the varying characteristics and symptoms of Malaria. Furthermore, we discussed current methods to diagnose and treat Malaria.
For a talk on primer and probe design we invited experts from the company Thermo Scientific to our university. The lecture focused on the design of a probe-based assay for pathogens and how to achieve reliable and accurate results in qPCR experiments. Starting with an introduction to qPCR we also discussed the process of assay validation as well as potential pitfalls regarding primer and probe design.
By initiating our iGEM lecture series, we want to reach out to interested people from Würzburg and students of all faculties, draw attention to the topic of infectious and tropical diseases. Furthermore, we are able to introduce the iGEM competition and our research project to a lager audience, thereby attracting new members for our team. In the future we will further enrich the curriculum for many students by inviting speakers from the field of synthetic biology. We hope to have a conversation about the amazing possibilities but also the practical and ethical limits of biological engineering.
Our first lecture was held by our PI Prof. Dr. Jochen Bodem. As a professor of virology, he delivered interesting insights into the molecular biology of Norovirus. We discussed the mechanisms how the virus is infiltrating the human cells, its replication and the damage caused by an infection leading to the typical symptoms of a gastrointestinal disease.
Prof. Dr. Christian Janzen, an expert on protozoan parasites especially Trypanosoma, gave a fascinating talk on Malaria. He started with some basic facts about the historic background and the worldwide incidences of the disease followed by details about the biochemistry of plasmodium, the different subtypes of the pathogen and the varying characteristics and symptoms of Malaria. Furthermore, we discussed current methods to diagnose and treat Malaria.
For a talk on primer and probe design we invited experts from the company Thermo Scientific to our university. The lecture focused on the design of a probe-based assay for pathogens and how to achieve reliable and accurate results in qPCR experiments. Starting with an introduction to qPCR we also discussed the process of assay validation as well as potential pitfalls regarding primer and probe design.
By initiating our iGEM lecture series, we want to reach out to interested people from Würzburg and students of all faculties, draw attention to the topic of infectious and tropical diseases. Furthermore, we are able to introduce the iGEM competition and our research project to a lager audience, thereby attracting new members for our team. In the future we will further enrich the curriculum for many students by inviting speakers from the field of synthetic biology. We hope to have a conversation about the amazing possibilities but also the practical and ethical limits of biological engineering.
Outlook
Since we are the first team of our university to participate in the iGEM competition, lot of effort has still to be invested to create a favourable environment and a close, far-reaching network for the iGEM initiative to grow and to expand at Wuerzburg. We will further intensify our relations to different faculties and institutes to conduct interdisciplinary research.
We have already published an article in an internal journal at our university, called “Einblick”. The next step to push our project forward and to gain local support is presenting our results to the public at our home town by newspaper articles and a discussion Forum. Our “Cake and Science” cake sale in the university hospital is our first step to reach out to the inhabitants of our city. Furthermore, we will present our research to biomedical students from all over Germany at the 13th Biomedical Students` Symposium in November.
We have already published an article in an internal journal at our university, called “Einblick”. The next step to push our project forward and to gain local support is presenting our results to the public at our home town by newspaper articles and a discussion Forum. Our “Cake and Science” cake sale in the university hospital is our first step to reach out to the inhabitants of our city. Furthermore, we will present our research to biomedical students from all over Germany at the 13th Biomedical Students` Symposium in November.
