Every winter term starting in October the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, offers the two-year international Master's programme "Molecular Bioengineering". It is taught completely in English. Applicants must hold a Bachelor's or an equivalent qualification in Biology / Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Chemistry / Biochemistry, Computer science, Materials science, Medicine, Nanotechnology or Physics.
The application procedure is now open, application deadline is 15 June 2008. The application forms and further information material can be found on the following website: http://www.biotec.tu-dresden.de/teaching.
3.5 days 8 - 11 June 2009
Applications are requested from students and post-docs who wish to attend a 3.5 day imaging workshop at UCL focusing on confocal microscopy techniques. The workshop will run from the morning of the 8th June to lunchtime on the 11th June.
Registration and accommodation costs will be covered by the ZF-MODELS Integrated Project (http://www.zf-models.org).
Course outline:
Day 1 - lectures
Basics of microscopy: setting up Koehler illumination, Phase contrast, DIC. Point spread functions and optical resolution. Objectives Ğ what do all the codes mean? What are the benefits and drawbacks of the different objectives? Which one should I choose for what job?
Introduction to confocal microscopy: Confocal principle, optical paths, signal cross talk. Digital images, optical vs digital resolution, pixels, voxels and grey levels. Digital and physical regions of interest - scanning and analysis. Optical sectioning and 3D reconstruction and rendering methods.
Live cell imaging confocal and multiphoton confocal microscopy: FRET, FRAP, FLIP, FLIM. 2 photon concept, advantages and drawbacks. SHG and THG imaging.
Image analysis and 3D reconstruction: Image composition and properties. Signal co-localization analysis. Deconvolution analysis. Application of algorithms to improve image quality Ğ dangers! 3D reconstruction, volume rendering and visualization. Comparison of software packages available.
Fluorescent probes and cell labeling: Basics of fluorescence, luminescence and spectral properties and consideration. Chemical fluorophores, fluorescent proteins (standard and advanced), FLAsh ReAsh bi-arsinical probes. Labelling techniques, bathing, AM dyes, electroportation, transfection microinjection, gene gun.
Day 2 & 3 & 4 - circus of practical classes to rotate round in groups of 4 (to make sure everyone gets hands on experience).
1. Basic microscope set up and alignment for Koehler illumination, Phase contrast, DIC. Alignment of Hg lamps. Confocal basics - image acquisition, correct dynamics range, eliminate cross talk, Z series, lambda scan, image projection and rotation.
2. Live cell imaging FRAP and FRET techniques.
3. Multiphoton and second harmonic imaging.
4. Image analysis and 3D reconstruction practical.
5. Zebrafish specific module - high-resolution fish brain imaging, including some detail on transgenics, mounting, imaging, reconstruction and presentation
Deadline for applications: 10th May 2009
To apply, send a CV & cover letter explaining why you would like to attend and a letter of support from your lab to Steve Wilson (s.wilson@ucl.ac.uk)
The 6th European Zebrafish Genetics and Development Meeting will be held on July 15 - 19, 2009 in Rome - Italy. This meeting will cover all aspects of the biology of zebrafish, medaka and other teleost models. The meeting will feature a variety of oral sessions, posters, workshops, and exhibitor stands, focusing on the use of model teleosts in scientific research. Please join us for an extraordinary conference that will reflect the broad interest of our research and the increasing scientific impact of our field. Registration, information and preliminary program will be available soon at http://www.zebrafish2009.org
Organizing Committee:
Marina Mione, IFOM-IEO Campus, Milan
Francesco Argenton, University of Padua
Massimo Santoro, University of Turin
Karuna Sampath, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore
If you have any questions or suggestions for the meeting, please e-mail scientific.committee@zebrafish2009.org
In association with the 6th European Zebrafish Genetics and Development Meeting, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and ZFIN, we are pleased to announce a one day "Working with Zebrafish Genome Resources" Workshop on the 15th of July 2009 in Rome, Italy.
The Open Door Workshop provides an introduction to bioinformatics tools freely available on the internet, focussing primarily on the Zebrafish Genome data. The workshop provides hands-on training in the use of public databases and web-based sequence analysis tools, and is taught by experienced instructors from the Wellcome Trust, the Sanger Institute and ZFIN.
Applications are now open, more information can be found at http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Info/workshops/zebrafish-odw/.
For registration, please go here: http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Info/workshops/zebrafish-odw/register.shtml
Please send your enquiries to zebrafish-odw@sanger.ac.uk
A workshop dedicated to experts in the field to share the latest research in cancer and immunology using the zebrafish model and identify future directions where the zebrafish model can be used to fight cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases.
Web site:http://www.zfworkshop-spoleto.org/
Global emergence and re-emergence of major infectious diseases is a growing and potentially gigantic world problem. A consequence of globalization is that events in one part of the world may rapidly impact on the local health status of multiple other world locations. This program bridges medical, biological, and geographical aspects of infectious disease epidemiology. This unique multidisciplinary Master course (held in English), which is given in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI), is designed for science/medical students with special interest in spread and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
The application procedure is now open until April 15, 2009. For application documents and information material please email to: Magnus Johansson magnus.johansson@sh.se
The availability of complete genome sequences of an increasing number of species is having a major impact on novel biomedical approaches to human disease. Biomedical sciences and animal model system-based research will thus be of high significance for future human medicine.
The international Biomedical Genomics Master course is a collaboration between the School of Life Sciences at Södertörn University and the Karolinska Institute Medical University, covering biological and medical aspects of genome sequence, gene expression and function in development, physiology and disease.
This unique biomedical Master course covers modern approaches to couple genes to diseases, and vice versa, e.g. translating genome structure and sequence into epigenetic regulation and gene function in cells, tissues and organs throughout animal development and in physiology. The course content is strongly based on animal model systems, e.g. D. rerio, C. elegans, and D. melanogaster. All courses are in English.
Applications are accepted now, until April 15, 2009. Applications after April 15 are accepted on a space availability basis. For application documents and information material please email to: Per Kylsten per.kylsten@sh.se
Applications are being accepted for this 1-week educational opportunity for individuals with maintenance, management or research responsibilities in which fish are used as laboratory animals.
APPLICATION DEADLINE - JULY 15.
The course is offered at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, Maine during the period of 24 - 28 August 2009. The course is co-sponsored by the Continuing Education Program of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. Topics to be discussed will include general system design and water quality management, anatomy and histology of fish, general fish diseases and disease management strategies. Infectious and non-infectious diseases common to all fish as well as specific diseases of importance to laboratory-maintained zebrafish will be discussed. The course will consist of lecture, laboratory exercises and discussions. During the course there will be an opportunity for students to discuss unusual and/or unsolved diagnostic case experiences from their home laboratories as problem-solving exercises. The course should be particularly valuable to technical staff, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty and investigators needing skills to monitor the health of a colony of aquatic organisms. The Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory and Continuing Education Program of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, recommend that successful completion of this class be considered for veterinary continuing education recognition by State Boards of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
For more information on the course, please see the course web site at:
http://www.mdibl.org/courses/fishhealth09.shtml
As part of the program "Current Trends in Biomedicine" at the Universidad Internacional de Andalucia (UNIA), we would like to bring your attention to the workshop: "Mechanisms of Organ Regeneration in Model Systems", to be held October 5-7th in Baeza Spain. This intimate meeting will cover a variety of model organisms, including zebrafish, and their relevance to regenerative approaches in biomedicine. Please join us for a high-end meeting in a beautiful setting. Registration and abstract deadline is July 24th. For more information and registration materials, go to: http://www.unia.es/content/view/875/586
Organizers:
Shawn Burgess, National Human Genome Research Institute
Ken Poss, Duke University
Hernan Lopez-Schier, Centre de Regulacio Genomica
Ensembl is a joint project of the European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, funded mainly by the Wellcome Trust, with additional funding from EMBL and NIH-NIAID. These courses are coordinated by Xosé M Ferández (xose@ebi.ac.uk), member of the Ensembl team involved with user queries and workshops. Throughout the year we run a number of workshops, thus have developed a quite extensive 1-day course suitable for up to 30 people with a hands-on training aspect in Ensembl that should help the attendees get the most out of the system and apply it to their own projects. We are aiming to give this course once a month, and we are considering requests for this coming year (2005).
Workshop: "Access to genes and genomes with Ensembl"
We will introduce the latest developments on the website, emphasising tools for data mining. Practical exercises will assist the researcher in learning to get the best out of the data available, and some time will be allocated for participants to query the Ensembl team about issues derived from their own research. Short presentations followed by case studies.
Topics covered will be:
Pre-Requisites: Course participants should have some biology background to understand different kinds of genomic annotation presented within Ensembl.
The deal is that you have to pay for travel and accommodation for someone, but that is the only cost. For European travel this works out to be pretty cheap (especially as we are close to Stanstead and Ryanair prices are just silly). For US locations we would suggest both for your cost and the sanity of the helpdesk people that two or three near-ish (in US terms...) institutes organise a potential road-show.
The course requires an IT room of (say) 20 PC's with internet connection and a way for one of the machines to be projected. The course lasts one day and can be somewhat customised to the location. Usually one can have up to 2 people per machine.
If people are interested in this, please contact Xosé Fernández (xose@ebi.ac.uk) for more details and potential arrangements.