Masters of Science in Microbiology and Immunology 2013/2014

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1 Fall semester: Graduate Medical Microbiology (4 credits). This course is designed to introduce graduate students to bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens that are the etiological agents of the most significant infectious diseases worldwide. The course will focus on the basic mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis with emphasis on the host-microbe interactions and the most recent advances on therapeutic and prophylactic treatments to combat these diseases. Important historical discoveries along with current scientific strategies to study the molecular basis of virulence will be discussed, and recent high impact publications will be assigned for reading and discussion. Microbiology Lab (3 credits). This course is designed to teach students how to perform basic laboratory tests using simple diagnostic tests for infectious diseases techniques. The bulk of the course consists of hands-on laboratory experience conducting laboratory tests with simulated clinical specimens and analyzing prepared teaching specimens. Procedures for organism isolation and identification and rapid diagnostic kits will be covered. Seminar in Microbiology (1 credit). The main purpose of the Seminar is to provide students with the opportunity to develop the confidence and skills necessary to make successful scientific presentations, enhance their critical thinking, and engage in thoughtful and productive scientific discussions with their professors and peers. In this course, doctoral graduate students are scheduled to present either a research article or their own work in a 50 min seminar (allowing for 10 min discussion). Masters students are required to attend and participate in the seminars and to write a one-page summary describing the content and significance of each seminar. Graduate Journal Club (1 credit). This course is a journal club format for discussion of current topics in Microbiology and Immunology. Students will present a seminar to the class on a selected research paper approved by the course instructor. Students will explain the topic background and specific hypothesis being tested, describe in detail the experimental design and results, and discuss the conclusions reached and whether or not they were justified. The student audience is expected to participate in class discussion following the presentation. In addition, each student is required to write a short summary explaining the hypothesis, content and significance of the findings for each presented paper. Research Methods (2 credits). This course provides students with an introduction and broad overview to the basic biochemical, molecular and immunological techniques that are commonly used in biomedical research. Topics covered include: analysis and characterization of macromolecules, recombinant DNA, and immunological assays. The theory behind the various techniques, practical applications, and the general procedures for carrying them out will be described. After taking the course students will have a good fundamental background in molecular methods as they are applied to biomedical research and be familiar with the terminology of molecular biology, thus giving students a better access to the scientific literature. They will gain an understanding of the various methods and their applications and will be better able to evaluate the merits of scientific papers by knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the 1 Page

2 various techniques used in biomedical research. Students pursuing a career in bench research will be better able to decide which methods to use in which situations and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the techniques. Spring semester Medical Immunology (2 credits). This course is designed to provide a basis of terminology relevant to the basic concepts of immunology. It commences with the important components (cell, tissues; antibodies; immunoglobulins) involved in host defense against infectious agents. Introductory lectures serve to describe and differentiate between natural defense (innate) mechanisms and adaptive immunity mediated by functional B and T lymphocytes and their products. Subsequently, cellular interactions, especially the differentiation of helper T cells subsets and the production of relevant cytokines, will be described. This will include the mechanisms of T cell activation and regulation. Finally, clinical immunology will be discussed: autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases; hypersensitivity reactions, including atopic disorders and asthma; mechanisms of transplant rejection; and immunodeficiency disorders. The Medical Immunology course is taken with first year Medical students. Seminar in Microbiology (1 credit). The main purpose of the Seminar is to provide students with the opportunity to develop the confidence and skills necessary to make successful scientific presentations, enhance their critical thinking, and engage in thoughtful and productive scientific discussions with their professors and peers. In this course, doctoral graduate students are scheduled to present either a research article or their own work in a 50 min seminar (allowing for 10 min discussion). Masters students are required to attend and participate in the seminars and to write a one-page summary describing the content and significance of each seminar. Bacterial Mechanisms of Disease (4 credits). Have you ever wondered: How cholera kills so quickly? Why the infamous E. coli strain O157:H7 that contaminates meat is so dangerous? If Tuberculosis is a disease of the past? Or are new drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis emerging? Are you concerned that MRSA methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus-, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to antibiotic resistance or is this just media-hype? These are just a few of the topics that will be addressed in this course. At the completion of this course, you will have extensive knowledge of the mechanisms utilized by pathogenic bacteria to cause disease and avoid eradication, an appreciation of the antimicrobial counterstrategies employed by the host, and an understanding of new vaccine and therapeutic interventions. Topics in Microbiology (1 credit). This course is designed to introduce students to a number of current research fields through studying published research papers, and via conversations with invited speakers. Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology faculty, other 2 Page

3 Tulane faculty and guests from other institutions, as well as graduate students, and medical residents are invited to speak on topics of interest. Topics include basic, applied, and clinical research and reviews to canvass the latest developments in the field of Microbiology, Immunology, Cell Biology, or other areas. Classes will consist of one-hour discussion periods or a seminar per week. Medical Parasitology (3 credits). The first part of this class will briefly introduce basic concepts and terminology to discuss parasites, vectors, and the (human) host and their relationship to each other. We will then explore a number of important diseases and the diverse set of helminths and protozoa causing them. We will highlight critical aspects of the biology of parasitism and parasitic disease as we go along. The lectures aim to span the entire field ranging from the molecular biology of the parasite to the implementation of control programs in the field. Additional Elective Courses: Medical Mycology (Fall Semester, 3 credits). This course consists of a basic introduction to medical mycology and a comprehensive study of the fungi (yeasts and molds) and mycoses (fungal diseases) likely to be encountered in clinical settings by a physician, medical mycologist, or medical technologist. Attention will be distributed as equally as possible between emphasis on the biology of the fungal zoopathogen and on its disease. Advanced Research Methods (Spring Semester, 2 credits). This course addresses the process of experimental design and current experimental methodologies in biology. The goal of this course is to introduce graduate students to the principles of current research methods, both in theory and in practice. The course will be a mixture of lectures, discussion of research papers and hands on sessions using the instruments discussed during the respective sessions. The objective is to not only help students understand the methods they are or will be using better but to also alert them to alternative research methods for their respective projects that they might not have considered otherwise. For most sessions, students will be responsible for reading a research article that focuses on the particular method, as well as background information on the respective method, before coming to class. Reading material will be provided to the students at the latest one week before the session. Vaccine Biology (Spring Semester, 3 credits). The worldwide eradication of smallpox is the best example of the success of vaccines as the best weapon to combat infectious diseases. This course will discuss vaccines from their historical development to state of the art strategies being currently employed to create new vaccines or improve the ones currently existing. We will focus on antigen discovery, immunological responses required for successful vaccination, and novel adjuvants and immunopotentiation strategies. Specific topics will include methods to link innate and adaptive responses, virulence factors and their role in immunity, strategies used by pathogens to escape the host response, and new delivery systems and biotechnology approaches for the development of vaccines. 3 Page

4 Advanced Virology (Spring Semester, 4 credits). The course includes lecture and discussion of fundamental and advanced topics in medically relevant virology. Topics will be taken from the current literature to allow incorporation of fundamental principles of virology into the current context of the field. Selected Tulane faculty with expertise in the field will lead the discussion. Responsible conduct of Biomedical Research (Fall Semester, 2 credits). This course explores a variety of ethical and policy issues that arise during the conduct of basic, translational, and clinical biomedical scientific research, with special emphasis on research in infectious diseases. Topics addressed include: (1) research misconduct; (2) "every day" ethical issues faced by biomedical scientists; (3) the use of laboratory animals in scientific research; (4) human research participants and scientific research; (5) authorship practices in scientific publications; (6) conflicts of interest arising from scientists acting as policy consultants and experts; (7) data sharing and data secrecy; (8) mentoring; (9) research with stem cells; (10) the dual-use dilemma; (11) select agents and bioterrorism; and (12) scientists as citizens. Course sessions will include lectures, discussion periods, and analyses of case studies. Material will be provided to the students at the latest one week before the session. Data mining, analysis and presentation (Fall Semester, 4 credits). This course will introduce methods for data mining, analysis and presentation. It is becoming impossible for scientists to do research without the aid of computer-based tools. Students enrolled in this course will learn basic bioinformatics and data mining techniques using freely available web-based resources tools. Students will also be introduced to the use of advanced features in amongst others - Microsoft Excel, Graphpad Prism, ImageJ and Microsoft Powerpoint in the analysis and graphical presentation of common types of experimental data. Participants will be expected to be reasonably familiar with the basic features of MS Office programs and to have an understanding of first year undergraduate-level statistics. Most sessions will involve practical application of computer tools using experimental data sets. Advanced Immunology (Fall Semester, 4 credits). The class will consist of 13 blocks. The first block will be a lecture based review session on key immune concepts. The rest of the course will be entirely discussion based. Prior to class, the instructor will papers for the following week s class. Students are expected to have read and be prepared to discuss any papers that have been sent. The first class of each week will consist of a historically important paper for that week s topic. The second class will be a discussion of a more recent high impact paper from the field and how that works fits into the overall history and our understanding of immunity. Students should be prepared to be called on in class to discuss specific figures, results, discussion, etc. from each paper. This class is geared towards students with a significant knowledge in Immunology. Human Medical Cellular Biochemistry (Fall Semester, 6 credits). The objectives and content of the Human Medical Cellular Biochemistry course are designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of cellular structure and function, and the manner by which 4 Page

5 cellular processes are normally integrated and regulated. This course stresses both the normal cellular function, and why disease states occur if normal cellular processes are disrupted. This course is taken with first year medical students. Metabolic Biochemistry of Human Disease (Spring Semester, 6 credits). The objectives and content of the Metabolic Biochemistry of Human Disease course are designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the metabolic pathways involving the four major metabolic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and nucleotides; and the manner by which metabolism is normally integrated and regulated. This course stresses both the normal metabolic function, and why disease states occur if normal metabolic processes are disrupted. This course is taken with first year medical students. Electives will be selected from graduate courses in Microbiology and Immunology or related areas such as Biochemistry or Genetics, as may be offered during the time that the student is in residence. Faculty: John D. Clements, Ph.D. Lucy Cardenas-Freytag, Ph.D. David Franklin, Ph.D. (Biochemistry) Robert F. Garry, Jr., Ph.D. Kerstin Honer zu Bentrup, Ph.D (Program director) Laura S. Levy, Ph.D. Louise B. Lawson Ph.D. James McLachlan, Ph.D Lisa Morici, Ph.D Cindy Morris, Ph.D. Elizabeth Norton, Ph.D. Ramesh Prabhu, Ph.D. Deborah E. Sullivan, Ph.D. Thomas G. Voss, Ph.D. Adjunct Faculty and Visiting Lecturers: Aline Betancourt, Ph.D. (Medicine) Jane El-Dahr, MD (Peds-Allergy/Immunology) Monica Embers, Ph.D. (TNPRC Bacteriology & Parasitology) Deepak Kaushal, Ph.D. (TNPRC Bacteriology & Parasitology) Susan McLellan, MPH, MD (Medicine/Infectious Diseases) Chad Roy, Ph.D., Ph.D. (TNPRC Bacteriology & Parasitology) Karol Sestak, Ph.D. (TNPRC Bacteriology & Parasitology) 5 Page

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