Kurssin kuvaus

Objectives

The main aim of the course is to get acquainted with the use of various live animal in vivo imaging techniques in preclinical research in practice. To achieve this goal the students will create a mouse xenograft model of human cancer, and monitor tumorigenesis and mouse wellbeing during a 3-4-week study period. The data that are collected during the study will be used to write a report that follows the structure of a scientific article. The course includes use of databases to find relevant scientific literature, use of a reference manager, assessment of validity and reliability of scientific data, and academic writing.

The learning outcomes of the course are:

To learn to use live animal in vivo imaging and research methods in practice
To learn to control experimental animals during a study and ways to assess their wellbeing
To learn to inoculate cancer cells into a mouse, and follow tumorigenesis
To learn how reporter cell lines can be used in in vivo imaging
To learn to write a report that follows the structure of a scientific article
To learn to create graphs from data that are collected during the study and also describe them in text as a whole
To learn to use databases to search relevant scientific research articles
To learn to use a reference manager
To comprehend which aspects of scientific writing a student masters and which require further attention and rehearsal