Course Syllabus
 |
| Semester & Location: |
Spring 2020 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 6 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Pre-Medicine / Health Science, Neuroscience, Public Health |
| Course Coordinator: |
Kenzie Zimmer mz@dis.dk |
| Supervisor: |
Jeanette Erbo Wern jwe@dis.dk |
| Mentor: |
Kristine Freude |
| Program Director: |
Tina Mangieri tma@disstockholm.se |
Kristine Freude’s laboratory focuses on modeling neurodegenerative diseases such as Frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and glaucoma, using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from patients and CRISPR-Cas9 gene edited iPSC controls. Besides modeling neural cell type-specific disease pathologies, Kristine’s lab also seeks to understand overlapping dysfunctions amongst different types of dementia. The lab focuses on a comprehensive understanding of molecular commonalities to provide, potentially, opportunities for novel interventions that are beneficial for an array of related diseases, facilitating cost-effective drug development.
Two Distinct Research Projects Offered Within this Lab
Differentiation of optic cups to study glaucoma. In this project, you use techniques including iPSC culturing, 3D differentiation, Quantitative PCR, Immunocyochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy. The principal mentor will be Kristine Freude, but you also partner with a lab technician. As an exceptional opportunity, students with a medical background have the opportunity to attend eye surgery. Surgeries are performed in close collaboration with Glostrup hospital and the Pharmacological Institute.
Differentiation of iPSC into microglia. In this project, you investigate iPSC from sporadic Alzheimer patients, which carry disease associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). You use techniques including iPCS culturing, microglia differentiation, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, flow cytometry analyses, quantitative PCR and immunocytochemistry. You will be co-mentored by Kristine Freude and a Ph.D. student. This is a great opportunity for basic science-oriented students. The project involves close collaboration with Bioneer A/S and Mathew Blurton-Jones at University California at Irvine, which may lead to future research opportunities in the U.S.
References
Zhang, Y., Schmid, B., Nikolaisen, N.K., Rasmussen, M.A., Aldana, B.I., Agger, M., Calloe, K., Stummann, T.C., Larsen, H.M., Nielsen, T.T., Huang, J., Xu, F., Liu, X., Bolund, L., Meyer, M., Bak, L.K., Waagepetersen, H.S., Luo, Y., Nielsen, J.E., Consortium, F.R., Holst, B., Clausen, C., Hyttel, P., Freude, K.K., (2017) Patient iPSC-Derived Neurons for Disease Modeling of Frontotemporal Dementia with Mutation in CHMP2B. Stem Cell Reports 8, 648-658.
Aldana, B.I., Zhang, Y., Lihme, M.F., Bak, L.K., Nielsen, J.E., Holst, B., Hyttel, P., Freude, K.K., Waagepetersen, H.S., (2017) Characterization of energy and neurotransmitter metabolism in cortical glutamatergic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells: A novel approach to study metabolism in human neurons. Neurochem Int 106, 48-61
Zhou, S., Ochalek, A., Szczesna, K., Avci, H.X., Kobolak, J., Varga, E., Rasmussen, M., Holst, B., Cirera, S., Hyttel, P., Freude, K.K., Dinnyes, A., (2016a) The positional identity of iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells along the anterior-posterior axis is controlled in a dosage-dependent manner by bFGF and EGF. Differentiation 92, 183-194.
Freude, K.K., Penjwini, M., Davis, J.L., LaFerla, F.M., Blurton-Jones, M., (2011) Soluble amyloid precursor protein induces rapid neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. J Biol Chem 286, 24264-24274.
Kalscheuer, V.M., Freude, K., Musante, L., Jensen, L.R., Yntema, H.G., Gecz, J., Sefiani, A., Hoffmann, K., Moser, B., Haas, S., Gurok, U., Haesler, S., Aranda, B., Nshedjan, A., Tzschach, A., Hartmann, N., Roloff, T.C., Shoichet, S., Hagens, O., Tao, J., Van Bokhoven, H., Turner, G., Chelly, J., Moraine, C., Fryns, J.P., Nuber, U., Hoeltzenbein, M., Scharff, C., Scherthan, H., Lenzner, S., Hamel, B.C., Schweiger, S., Ropers, H.H., (2003) Mutations in the polyglutamine binding protein 1 gene cause X-linked mental retardation. Nat Genet 35, 313-315.
Prerequisite(s)
One year of biology and chemistry at the university level. Laboratory experience at university level is recommended.
What is the 6-Credit Research Assistant course?
The 6-Credit Research Assistant course is an experiential learning opportunity that allows students to develop research skills in a professional research setting. The course requires an average of 20 hours a week of laboratory, clinical, and/or literature-based research in external research groups at local hospitals, universities, or other research institutions. As a research assistant, you perform research under the supervision of a mentor (a lead scientist in the external research group). The mentor is able to offer both academic and professional advice. In addition to acquiring research experience, the goal is to develop a student/mentor relationship that benefits both the DIS student and Copenhagen-based research institutions.
Student Profile
The 6-credit Research Assistant course is designed for highly motivated students with a strong interest in developing their research skills. Students must be willing to commit a significant portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and institutes in the Copenhagen region.
Learning Objectives
Through this course, DIS students will learn techniques and skills in their field of interest and as applicable to the research focus. Students will be part of an active research team and experience the dynamics of a European research institution. Throughout the semester, students will keep a research journal recording their daily involvement in the research project. At the end of the semester, all students involved in this course will participate in a Research Symposium to present their semester work to peers and invited professionals.
Structure of Project Work
The student’s research project will be a part of a larger, ongoing research project at the research institution. The student must be able to enhance the research being performed and investigate phenomena of interest to them, their mentor, and the research team. The project should be self-directed and self-motivated under the mentor’s guidance and supervision. A gradual transition toward independence is encouraged as a student gains confidence and is able to self-direct their work.
It is not expected that the student pursues a project where s/he is able to obtain definitive publishable results. The project chosen and agreed upon between the student and mentor should be focused and designed to produce results within the DIS semester calendar. While it is not necessary for the results to be significant (in that the results find a solution to the problem or hypothesis proposed), arguably any results to the proposed question are significant to the next phase of a research project.
DIS Contact
Tina Mangieri, PhD, DIS Associate Academic Director and Director of Research: tma@disstockholm.se
Jeanette Erbo Wern, PhD, DIS Copenhagen faculty and Copenhagen Coordinator: jwe@dis.dk
Course Location
This DIS course will be located, primarily, at an external institution. Students will need to arrange a schedule with their mentor which will allow them to complete an average of 20 hours work per week (total hours may vary according to research opportunity and expectation of mentor).
DIS Research Resources
More information can be found on this page.
Assignments
Throughout the semester, students are expected to complete various assignments to verify their involvement and learning; these will be of benefit to both the student and mentor. The students will be expected to compose the following:
A literature summary review will give the student the opportunity to seek out existing peer-reviewed articles and, therefore, enhance their scientific knowledge regarding the specific research field. In addition, it is essential that the student has knowledge of previously produced research by the research institution with which they are working.
An outline of the research project will provide the student with a foundational structure to help guide the project’s completion. By creating an outline, the student will be able to better comprehend the objective of her/his efforts. The mentor will also be able to use the outline to assess areas in which the student’s current knowledge and understanding may be lacking.
A research abstract explaining the importance and overall objective of the research the student has done. The abstract provides the student an outlet to think about their research concisely, thereby gleaning the most essential points from the project completion.
In conjunction with the submission of the research abstract there will be a research symposium where students will present the research they have carried out throughout the semester. Students will create a poster that supports their abstract and outlines the main aspects of their work; the poster is created with the guidance and approval of the research mentor. The poster session is part of a research symposium organized by DIS to showcase end-of-semester work across the curriculum.
The research paper is the final product of the 6-credit research assistantship. The paper will explain the student’s work throughout the semester and will include the overall process, the project’s significance, and the contribution to the field of research in which the student engaged. Please note: this research paper is not produced with the intent of publishing. The final research paper will include the following:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Background
- Method(s)
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions
Evaluation
Literature Summary Review (5%)
Outline of Research Project (5%)
Abstract (5%)
Research Paper (10-15 pages) (60%)
Poster Presentation at Research Symposium (20%)
Participation (5%)
Research Assistants are required to participate in several workshops during the semester. The content of the workshops is subject to change and may include overviews/introductions of skills your mentor will expect you to execute, as well as discussions on the goals of research and the ways in which research questions are culturally and historically-contingent. Workshop examples include, but are not limited to:
- Literature Search and Citation Skills
- Research Ethics
- Interpreting and Analyzing Data and the Significance of Results
- Communicating Research Findings (including poster production)
- Structure of Abstracts and Research Paper
Copenhagen Research Coordinator
Jeanette Erbo Wern
Ph.D. Immunology 2001-2005 (Inst. Of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark). Post doc 2006-2009 (Inst. of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark). M.Sc. 2001 (Inst. Of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark). Senior Scientist 2010-2013 (Immune Targeting Group, Bioneer, Cph, Denmark). Senior Scientist 2013-2016 (Dept. of Infectious Disease Immunology, Statens Serum Institute, Cph, Denmark). With DIS since fall 2016.
Workshop Lecturers (subject to change)
Bettina Hornbøll, PhD
Founder of CogniCation; cognitive communication. PhD in neurobiology doing imaging of the effect of serotonin during emotion processing in the brain, while challenging participant’s natural serotonergic levels. The project has been conducted at Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (CIMBI). M.Sc. Neurobiology (University of Copenhagen, 2006). B.A. Biology (University of Copenhagen, 2004). With DIS since 2012
Course Schedule
In addition to these dates, weekly meetings with your mentor are required. It is up to you to find a time with your mentor for these weekly check-ins. If you need more meetings, it is your responsibility as the student to request such from your mentor.
Before Arrival to Copenhagen
Once accepted you will be connected to your mentor(s) via email. You will then contact your mentor(s) and briefly introduce yourself further. Please note some mentors may give you 10 – 15 hours of research literature to read before your semester start.
Arrivals Week
Research Assistant Orientation: Introduction to Research at DIS
Monday, January 13th
Location: DIS, Studiestræde 3 room 21
Time: 16.30-17.30
Course Summary:
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