Spring 2008 Course Descriptions

G16.1998 Introduction to Pre-doctoral Research
This course is offered on a non-credit pass/fail basis and required of all first year graduate students. Students are expected to meet regularly with the Director to discuss research rotations and prepare reports on a quarterly basis discussing results.
Non-credit
Course Director: Joel Oppenheim (212) 263-8001 - oppenj01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
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G16.2000 Scientific Integrity and the Responsible Conduct of Research
A non-credit course entitled "Scientific Integrity and the Responsible Conduct of Research" is, as mandated by the NIH, required for all first year Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students. The course meets weekly during the Spring semester for approximately 1 1/2 hours per week. Students are assigned to sections and are responsible for required readings and participating in discussion sessions. Case studies will be presented each week by senior graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows. To evaluate the student's comprehension and retention of information presented during the course, a written final examination must be passed. Attendance is closely monitored throughout the course.
Non-credit
Course Director:
Joel Oppenheim (212) 263-8001 - oppenj01@med.nyu.edu
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G16.2002 Foundations of Cell and Molecular Biology II
Foundations II provides a broad overview of cell biology, signal transduction, and basic genetic mechanisms in three modules. The Cell Biology module covers protein transport, endocytosis, molecular motors, cell-cell interaction and cell adhesion. The Signal Transduction module will include G-proteins, hormonal signaling, concepts in receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, and the cell cycle. The final segment provides an introduction to the genetics of bacterial and phages, yeast, drosophila, mice, and humans. Genetic approaches to whole genome analysis will also be emphasized. The reading of primary research articles is heavily stressed. Lectures will generally be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in MSB 393 from 9:00 to 10:30 A.M. The discussion sessions, held on Friday, will be in two sections (9:00-10:30 A.M., and 10:30-12:00 noon) in the west wing of the Biochemistry Library (MSB 391). Sections will be decided during the first week of class. The course has a total of three exams that are a mixture of in-class and take-home exams. Attendance and participation in discussion sessions will account for a portion of the final grade.
6 credits
Course Director: James Borowiec (212) 263-8453 - borowj01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
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G16.2104 Tutorial in Advanced Cell Biology
This tutorial is required of advanced students in the cellular and molecular biology program. Students will be paired with CMB faculty to study a varied number of topics.
1.5 credits
Course Director: Daniel Rifkin (212) 263-5234 - rifkid01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
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G16.2318 Molecular Oncology
Studies the molecular basis for cancer. Topics include somatic mutations and DNA repair mechanisms, viral systems relevant to cellular transformation and human cancer, the pathogenesis of cancer as a consequence of alterations in oncogenes, growth factor genes and tumor suppressor genes with emphasis on the function of their normal counterparts as well, tumor progression, mechanisms of metastasis, and tumor immunology.
4 credits
Course Directors:
George Teebor (212) 263-5473 - George.Teebor@msnyuhealth.org
Angel Pellicer (212) 263-5342 - pellia01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
Syllabus
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G16.2404 Molecular Signaling and Drug Development
This course is divided into two parts. The first covers the basics of drug-receptor interactions, and modern approaches to the drug design and development process (virtual library screening, rational drug design, and combinatorial chemistry, etc.). The second part will explore novel possibilities for future drug development as related to specific medical problems, such as HIV, diseases of protein folding, angiogenesis inhibitors, inflammation, and stem cells. A subset of lectures are given by invited speakers from pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. Each lecture is followed by a student presentation of a research paper and group discussion. At the end of the course, students write a paper outlining and testing a new idea for pharmacological intervention.
4 credits
Course Director: Timothy Cardozo (212) 263-6337 - timc@saturn.med.nyu.edu
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G16.2604 Bioinformatics
This is a practical course in Bioinformatics which will emphasize how to use the computer as a tool for biomedical research. The course will cover sequence similarity, multiple alignment, protein motifs and secondary structure, phylogenetics, genome browsers, and microarray data analysis. Students will learn basic UNIX commands and will write simple programs in Perl and shell scripting languages. Prerequisites include a thorough understanding of theoretical and practical aspects of molecular biology, and some University level mathematics and statistics, but no prior knowledge of computer programming or computer hardware is necessary.
4 credits
Course Director: Stuart Brown (212) 263-7689 - browns02@med.nyu.edu
http://www.med.nyu.edu/rcr/rcr/course/syllabus.html
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G16.2606 Tutorial in Developmental Genetics
This seminar is required for all graduate students in the Developmental Genetics program. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows present recent results and discuss the history and future of their research projects.
1.5 credits
Course Director: Deborah Yelon (212) 263-2820 - yelon@saturn.med.nyu.edu
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G16.2607 Advanced Topics in Microbial Pathogenesis
Recent developments in pathogen genetics, physiology and the host immune response makes microbial pathogenesis an exciting field. This course familiarizes students with some of these developments. The course runs only every other year and is open to first and second year students.
Wednesday afternoon 2:30 – 4:30 PM. Journal club of research papers selected by the speaker, presented by 1-2 students and moderated by course directors. The papers will be in the general area of the speakers research. Audience participation in discussion is required.
Thursday 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. The speaker gives an overview of the disease area and their research. The course organizers are present and audience participation in discussion is required. For the final half hour students are left alone with the speaker for a post seminar lunch.
3 credits
Course Directors:
Andrew Darwin (212) 263-3223 - darwia01@med.nyu.edu
Heran Darwin (212) 263-7539 - heran.darwin@med.nyu.edu
Syllabus
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G16.2608 Readings in Neuroscience
Journal Club required of all second and third year Neuroscience students.
1.5 credits
Course Director: Stewart Bloomfield (212) 263-5770 - stewart.bloomfield@med.nyu.edu
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G16.2609 Developmental Genetics II
This course is a continuation of the seminar series taught by faculty of the Developmental Genetics program in Fall '07. Successful completion of DG I and permission of the instructors is a prerequisite for participation in this course. The course combines a practical component and a discussion. In the practical part, experiments that have led to the discovery of important aspects of developmental biology are demonstrated and conducted by the students. For the discussion, student will read and discuss research articles pertinent to the respective laboratory session.
6 credits
Course Director: E. Jane Hubbard (212) 263-7154 - jhubbard@saturn.med.nyu.edu
Syllabus
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G16. 2611, Section 001 Tutorial in Neuroanatomy
This course provides the basis for Neuroscience Systems course that follows, immediately. The course will include laboratory, conferences, lectures and didactic examinations. Upon completion, students should be able to conceptualize the structural and general functional organization of the human nervous system.
This course presents the central and peripheral nervous systems in terms of anatomical localization, connectivity and functional relevance of NS organization. We will analyze sensory systems and their topographical projections into the CNS together with output as fundamental controls of behavior. The presentations will include the hierarchy of integrative centers that act to generate simple to complex reflexes and the formulation of consciousness and memory. The lectures will focus on spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus/hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic centers and cortical regions as components of interconnection and function. Development and comparative phylogeny will be used to illustrate organizational relationships in the adult human brain. Attendees will be able to describe effects of localized lesions at specific sites along the neuraxis or recognize functional deficits as being from localized brain or spinal cord involvement.
3 credits
Course Directors:
Eric Lang (212) 263-6638 - lange01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
Kalman Rubinson (212) 263-6792 - kr4@nyu.edu
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G16. 2611, Section 002 Tutorial in Systems Neuroscience
This course is required for all first year Neuroscience students to be taken in conjunction with the Systems and Developmental tutorials offered this spring. Details to follow.
3 credits
Course Director: Esther Gardner (212) 263 5412 - gardne01@med.nyu.edu
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G16. 2611, Section 004 Developmental Neuroscience
This course is required for all first year Neuroscience students to be taken in conjunction with the Systems Neuroscience and Neuroanatomytutorials offered this spring. Details to follow.
3 credits
Course Directors:
Gord Fishell (212) 263 7691 - fishell@saturn.med.nyu.edu
Jim Salzer (212) 263 0758 - salzer@saturn.med.nyu.edu
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G16. 2611, Section 005 Tutorial in Parasitology
Students in the Parasitology training program can select this tutorial for a variable amount of credits. Topics of interest and number of hours/credits is arranged with the course director.
Variable 1.5 - 3 credits
Course Director: Dan Eichinger 212 263-8171 - eichid01@med.nyu.edu
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G16.4012 - 4402 Readings in Biochemistry - Structural Biology
Students can sign up for a 1-3 credit readings course as an elective. The graduate student will select a faculty member that is working in an area matching their interests.
1-4 credits
Course Director: Various
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G16.4403, Advanced Techniques in Structural Biology
This course will teach students the underlying theory and techniques used in x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and computer modeling. The information in this course will enable students to pursue their dissertation research in structural biology. Topics include: x-ray diffraction, phasing and refinement; cryo-electron microscopy; image processing and tomography; multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy; MALSDI-TOF and Q-TOPF mass spectrometry; and ab initio and homology modeling of proteins.
4 credits
Course Director: Xiangpeng Kong (212) 263-7897 - kong@saturn.med.nyu.edu
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G16.4409, Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field. This course continues from “Fundamentals of MRI” taught in the fall, and successful completion of the fall course is a prerequisite. Advanced MRI introduces and utilizes mathematical concepts such as the Fourier transform, k-space and the Bloch equations to describe the physical and mathematical principles governing data acquisition and image reconstruction. Topics covered will include diffusion, perfusion, functional brain imaging, cardiac MRI, spectroscopic imaging, clinical MRI, rf engineering, contrast agents and molecular imaging. This course includes weekly lectures, discussion sessions revolving around assigned research articles, and practical labs pertinent to material covered in the lectures.
6 credits
Course Director: Qun Chen (212) 263-3308 - qun.chen@med.nyu.edu
Syllabus
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G16.4410, Advanced Tissues and Organ Systems
This course is a continuation of the Pathobiology laboratory and lecture courses taught in the Fall. Successful completion of these two introductory courses as well as permission by the instructors is a prerequisite for this course. The Advanced course combines a practical lab component with lectures and discussions. The first half of the course focuses on three complex organ systems: the cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems. The goals will be to understand the individual systems as well as their interactions with other systems and resulting impact on the function or dysfunction of the organism as a whole. The goal of the second half of the course will be to provide a strong foundation in basic immunology and the host response to infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune stimuli. The laboratory sessions will provide a more robust, 3-dimensional understanding of normal organ function as well as better conceptualization of the underlying cellular processes leading to disease.
Each student is expected to have read the relevant chapters and articles before each session and to be able to present a summary and critique of the research papers at the discussion sessions. Active participation throughout the course and an oral presentation in the last session will contribute to the final grade.
4 credits
Course directors:
Cynthia Loomis, M.D., Ph.D. (212) 263- 6827 - loomic01@med.nyu.edu
Sandra Demaria M.D. (212) 263-7308 - demars01@popmail.med.nyu.edu
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G16.4411, Pathobiology of Disease
Pathobiology of Disease focuses on the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of disease pathogenesis and how modern experimental approaches have led to new therapies. The course will discuss two complex disease entities. In the spring 2008, these will be diabetes and breast cancer. The course will be based upon student presentations and the close reading and critical evaluation of selected papers from the contemporary literature. There will also be a writing component to the course: students write their own abstracts to existing papers that approach disease pathophysiology in whole animal models. The course will help students learn how to distill core data from in vivo experiments, and will increase their appreciation for the inherent advantages and limitations of in vivo approaches.
2 credits
Course Director: Adrian Erlebacher (212) 263-8926 - adrian.erlebacher@med.nyu.edu
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G16.4413, Stem Cell Biology
This course will cover a broad range of topics relevant to stem cell biology. This fast-moving field brings together many aspects of basic and applied biology and medicine including development, regeneration/repair, and cancer. The course will cover these topics in four parts: concepts and themes (including adult, embryonic, germline stem cells, general molecular themes), stem cell biology relevant to specific organ systems, stem cells and cancer, and therapeutics and ethics. The lecture/discussion format will give students both a broad background and the opportunity to apply critical thinking skills to recent data in the field.
6 credits
Course Director: E. Jane Hubbard (212) 263-7154 - j.hubbard@saturn.med.nyu.edu
Syllabus
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