Courses
Required Courses
REQUIRED COURSES
CBIO 310. Cell Biology. This is a graduate level course with three major goals pivotal for success as a graduate student. 1. To provide solid foundational knowledge of cell biology. 2. To learn to think critically about experimental design and interpretation. 3. To learn to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. The class features faculty from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and emphasizes fundamental cell processes such as regulated proteolysis, mitosis, and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Major signaling pathways are reviewed in relation to cell biological processes essential for development. Weekly student presentations help develop oral communication skills, and weekly writing assignments hone writing skills. Students learn classical and cutting edge techniques while improving their ability to read and synthesize the literature. Final paper assignment is designed to help students learn to develop and design feasible experiments to test a strong hypothesis. Prerequisite: IGP curriculum, the entire Bioregulation class. FALL. [3] L Lee
CBIO 314. Basic Biological Microscopy. This lecture course will present students with an introduction to microscopy and its applications to biology. Lectures will cover basic principles of light and optics, transmitted light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, digital image acquisition and the ‘does and don’ts’ of digital image processing. Fixed sample preparation and basic live cell imaging will also be covered. REQUIRED for all CDB Graduate Students. SPRING [1] Tyska/Kaverina
CBIO 330. Seminar in Cell and Developmental Biology. The goal of the course is for graduate students to learn about two cutting-edge areas of research in cell and developmental biology. Each area will be presented by four outside speakers (either dates total). The week before each seminar, the students will read and discuss a paper authored by the next week’s speaker, facilitated by a faculty member, and prepare written critiques. The students will attend the seminar, followed by a discussion section with the speaker. FALL, SPRING [1] L Lee (F), Gu (S)
CBIO-GS 339. Research Seminar in Cell Biology. Students and postdoctoral fellows present their research projects in an informal atmosphere. Students are critiqued on presentations. FALL, SPRING. [1] R. Ohi/Page-McCaw
Elective Courses
CBIO 312. Introduction to Developmental Biology. This combined lecture and laboratory course will present students with the basics in the analysis of standard animal models used in modern developmental biology. Central concepts in development will be presented in lecture while the student will gain “hands on” training in the growth and care of embryos and analysis of embryonic development in model organisms. Standard methods of analysis (e.g. basic microscopy/morphological analysis, immunolabeling, time-lapse imaging, embryo microinjection) will be presented. Prerequisite: IGP Curriculum. Tuesday/Thursday; SUMMER. [3] Bader, Jessen.
CBIO 313. Introduction to Modern Biological Microscopy. This lecture course will provide students an introduction to modern microscopy and its biological applications. Topics will include diverse methods of light and electron microscopy, the basic principles of each method, details of specific instrumentation, historical background, advantages and restrictions, as well as applicability to various model systems and organisms. Sample preparation, technical hurdles, tricks of live imaging, micro- and nanomanipulation, quantitative image analysis and other issues will be addressed. The course will also include a tour of microscopy facilities available at Vanderbilt.
SPRING. [2] Tyska/Kaverina.
CBIO 320. Cancer and Development. A cross-listed CDB/CB graduate-level course that will examine relationships between cellular responses in normal tissue development and cancer. The goal of the course is to familiarize the students with major cellular pathways and responses that are regulated in normal embryonic and post-natal tissue development and how abnormal re-activation of these responses gives rise to malignant disease. Offered every other year. SPRING. [3] deCaestecker.
CBIO 324. Epithelial Pathobiology. To introduce students to issues of polarized epithelial cell function in the context of normal physiology as well as alterations associated with disease. Two one-and-a-half-hour sessions per week, one-semester course; paper presentation and discussion on Wednesday, lecture on Friday by visiting scientists. During the course, ten visiting scientists from outside Vanderbilt will present special topics changing each year. Prerequisite: open to all graduate students. Offered every other year. SPRING. [3] Goldenring, Coffey.
CBIO 325. Histology. (Also listed as Cancer Biology 325 and Cellular and Molecular Pathology 325) This course focuses on the organization of cells to form tissues and organs both in terms of structure and function. Our studies begin with a discussion of the basic tissue types that form all multicellular organisms. Lecture and microscopic laboratory formats will introduce students to epithelia, connective tissue, muscle, nerve, and lymphoid tissues. Students will examine histological preparations microscopically in laboratory during this phase of the course. Next, a discussion of the organization of tissues into functioning organs will be pursued. Here, we will focus on basic concepts in organ arrangement rather than memorizing various structures. Students will have significant input on which adult or developing organs are used as models of organ structure and function. Learning laboratory methods in the analysis of tissues and organs will run concurrently with didactic instruction. Students will be asked to choose specific tissues/organs (often directly related to their thesis work) that they will prepare for morphological analysis. Specifically, students will learn methods in fixation, processing, sectioning, and microscopic analysis including morphometrics, immunofluorescence, histochemistry, and electron microscopy. Offered every other year.
FALL. [3] Bader.
CBIO 331. Current Topics in Developmental Biology. This course is offered in both the fall and spring semesters and meets once per week to hear a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or faculty member discuss a research paper from outside his or her field of research, followed by an audience Q&A session. Students taking this course are paired with a PI mentor and together choose a topical scientific paper that the trainee presents at the end of the semester. FALL, SPRING. [1] Wright.
CBIO 333. Reproductive Biology. A multidisciplinary approach to the study of reproductive biology. Topics covered center on cutting-edge research advances in modern reproductive biology, including: specification of germ cells; cell signaling and the germ line; gonadogenesis and sex determination; meiosis; X-inactivation; germline stem cells; spermatogenesis; oogenesis; fertilization; and implantation. The format will consist of a combination of lectures, faculty-led discussions, and faculty-mentored student presentations. Offered every other year. SPRING. [3]
NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED.
CBIO 335. Special Topics in Neuroscience. (Also listed as Neuroscience 335 and Psychology 335) Basic issues in neuroscience. Possible topics include neural development, neural plasticity, regeneration, organization and function of cortex, sensory systems, motor systems, and research methodology in neuroscience. A new topic is considered each semester. Prerequisite: 323 or equivalent course, or permission of instructor. [2]
NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED
CBIO 337. Molecular Aspects of Cancer Research. (Also listed as Biochemistry 337) A focused series of seminars and discussions to explore the molecular basis of cancer. Seminars rely heavily on extramural speakers with recognized expertise in selected research areas. Students meet with the speaker immediately following each seminar. Discussion sections led by a faculty member follow each series of three to four seminars.
SPRING. [1] Hiebert (Biochemistry).
CBIO 338. Special Topics in Cell Biology. This course is intended to give first-year IGP students a personal perspective on the careers of exceptional cell and developmental biology researchers. Each session will focus on Nobel Prize or Lasker Award winners in Physiology or Medicine that have impacted cell and developmental biology fields. A faculty member with training or interest ties to the researcher will present and lead a discussion on the research topic and the history of the researcher’s career. In preparation for each session, the students will research the information at or linked to the award Web sites. For each session, the students will be given a key paper(s) of the winner (or the winner’s acceptance speech, or biographical articles, etc. at the discretion of the faculty member). During the class-time interactions with the faculty member, the students will incorporate their perspectives on what they found interesting about the winner’s history. For the last wrap-up session, each student will pick an award winner, who has not been discussed, and prepare a 15-minute presentation about that person.
SPRING. [Maximum credit: 1] Gould
CBIO 340. Special Problems and Experimental Techniques. Designed to allow the student an opportunity to master advanced techniques in cell biology while pursuing special projects under individual members of the faculty in their areas of expertise. Admission to course, hours, and credit by arrangement.
FALL, SPRING, SUMMER. [Variable credit: 1–6] Gould.
CBIO 341. Molecular Developmental Biology. This course comprises three cutting-edge areas of developmental biology per year. The aim of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of fundamental issues in modern developmental biology. Faculty didactic lectures provide essential background to facilitate critical reading and discussions of the recent scientific literature. This course is modular, with each module (approximately one month) corresponding to a single thematic topic. Students meet with external lecturers. Topics for 2010 to be selected. Offered every other year.
SPRING. [Variable credit: 1–3] Wright.
CBIO 342. Advanced Developmental Biology: Vertebrate Organogenesis. (Also listed as Biological Sciences 342) Cellular and molecular regulation of the morphogenetic processes that shape vertebrate tissues and organs. Emphasis on development of digestive, respiratory, hematopoietic, cardiovascular, urogenital, sensory and nervous systems. Where appropriate, correlation to invertebrate development and reference to evolutionary changes in organ structure and function. [3]
NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED
CBIO 345. Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. (Also listed as Molecular Physiology and Biophysics 345, Neuroscience 345, Pharmacology 345) This course is a required entry-level course for students in the Cell and Molecular Track of the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Vanderbilt that should be taken in the first graduate school year. It also serves as an elective for medical students and graduate students in a number of other programs. Its goal is to expose students to fundamental concepts and techniques in molecular and cellular neuroscience and provide a theoretical context for experimental analysis of brain function and disease. The course is divided into three modules. Module I: Neural Anatomy and Development provides an overview of the anatomy of the nervous system and neurotransmitters and examines concepts in neural pattern formation, neuronal migration, axon guidance, and synapse formation. Module II. Signaling, Plasticity, and Modulation reviews biophysical and molecular concepts relating to neuronal membrane excitability, secretion, and plasticity. Module III: Neural Diseases and Disease Models focuses on specific brain disorders such as epilepsy, pain disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and schizophrenia and current models used to investigate their origin and/or treatment. This course combines faculty lecture with discussion of original articles, with an emphasis on fundamental concepts and the elucidation of important research paradigms in the discipline. Faculty and assistants guide students through important research paradigms with a critical analysis of the primary literature in the topic area. Prerequisite: Bioregulation I (IGP 300A) or consent of instructor. Course directors may consider undergraduate course work in cell biology or biochemistry to meet this requirement.
SPRING. [4] Currie, Carter, and Staff.
CBIO 347. The Visual System. (Also listed as Electrical Engineering 351, Neuroscience 347, Psychology 336) An introduction to the anatomy, physiology, psychophysics, and pathologies of the sense of sight. Physiological optics, retinal anatomy, physiology and neurochemistry, color vision, brain areas involved in visual processing and clinical problems associated with the visual system.
SPRING. [3] Casagrande, Bonds (Electrical Engineering), Roe (Psychology).
CBIO 349. Genetics of Model Organisms. (Also listed as Human Genetics 349, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics 349) Basic genetic principles across a broad range of organisms (yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, plants, mouse, zebrafish) that are used in genetic analyses to investigate molecular pathways of interest for human disease will be presented. This course will provide students with in-depth terminology and understanding of the advantages, applications, and approaches specific to each organism. Genomic and bioinformatics tools that facilitate genetic analysis in each species will be emphasized. Specific examples of how each model organism has successfully contributed to elucidation of a human disease gene, pathway, or genetic principle will be presented. Course combines faculty lectures with student presentation and discussion of original articles to emphasize the uniqueness of each model system. Prerequisite: one statistics course at the upper undergraduate level or higher and Fundamentals of Genetic Analysis (MPB 385), or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.
SPRING. [3] Southard-Smith and Staff.
CBIO 350. Cellular Microbiology of the Pathogen-Host Interaction. (Also listed as Microbiology and Immunology 350) An interdisciplinary course designed to train students at the interface of molecular microbiology and cell biology. Students will be challenged to utilize new information from microbial genome sequencing to understand host cell subcellular compartments and signaling pathways. Prerequisite: A solid background at the graduate or undergraduate level in natural science curriculum, for example, molecular cell biology, microbiology, and immunology.
SPRING. [3] Joyce, Skaar.
CBIO 379. Non-candidate Research. Research prior to entry into candidacy (completion of Qualifying Examination) and for special non-degree students. [Variable credit: 0–12]
CBIO 399. Ph.D. Dissertation Research.
All CBIO Courses (MIS requires you to search for your classes, please enter cbio into search area)