Program Chair:
Dr. Kevin Foskett
B39 Anatomy-Chemistry Bldg.
Phone: 215 898-1354
Fax: 215 573-6808
foskett@mail.med.upenn.edu
Coordinator:
Kathy O'Connor-Cooley
Phone: 215-898-8935
kathyo@mail.med.upenn.edu
Faculty:
Overview | Requirements | Courses
Modern cell biology is a dynamic discipline that integrates the interests of a variety of scientific fields including molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, microbiology, physiology, developmental biology, cytology and genetics -- fields that were once almost completely independent of each other. Cell biologists are at the core of scientific research, investigating the basic structural and functional units of life: cells that compose all living organisms. Once reliant primarily on microscopic methods, experimental approaches in cell biology now take advantage of ultrastructure as well as biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology, and utilize a diverse range of model organisms. Cell Biology research at Penn has contributed to numerous medical advances in recent years, including those related to diabetes, blindness, muscular dystrophy and cancer.
The Program in Cell Biology and Physiology is dedicated to training graduate students in the diversity of medical science that defines modern cell biology, as well as providing ample time and resources for specializations. Laboratories in this program conduct research in a wide variety of areas that encompass, but are not limited to, five overlapping areas of research:
PhD applicants interested in graduate work in CBP that involves Imaging Sciences and who wish to obtain a grounding in biomedical sciences as part of their training may qualify for support through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute - NIH Interfaces Initiative in Biomedical Imaging & Informational Sciences as "HHMI trainees".
The CBP graduate program is supported by Penn Cell Biology, an umbrella organization that sponsors and coordinates seminars and other events for our many investigators, students and fellows.
Overview | Requirements | CoursesRequired Courses:
See Curriculum section of this site for more information on the CAMB graduate group's requirements and related topics.
Additional requirements apply to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute training program in Imaging Sciences
Overview | Requirements | Courses
(Click on links for course descriptions below)
CAMB 691: Advanced Topics in Cell Biology and Physiology I
CAMB 692: Advanced Topics in Cell Biology and Physiology II
CAMB 532: Human Physiology
Suggested Elective Courses:
CAMB 480 /BIOL 480: Advanced Cell Biology
CAMB 511: Principles of Development
CAMB 512: Cancer Genetics and Biology
CAMB 518: Current Topics in Ion Channels
CAMB 530: Seminar in Cell Cycle and Cancer
CAMB 550: Genetic Principles
CAMB 608: Regulation of Eukaryotic Gene Expression
CAMB 610: Molecular Basis of Gene Therapy
CAMB 615: Topics in Conformational Disease
CAMB 698: Elective Tutorials in Cell Biology
BIOL 486: Cell division and mitotic spindles
BMB 550: Molecular Mechanisms of Signal Transduction and Control
INSC 572: The Electrical Language of Cells
CAMB 691: Advanced Topics in Cell Biology and Physiology I
This course, together with its companion CAMB 692, offers an advanced, in depth analysis of selected topics in cell biology and physiology. CAMB 691 and 692 are complementary courses that focus on different aspects of cell biology; these courses are offered on an alternating basis in the spring semester. The courses can be taken in either order, but require BIOM 600 or an equivalent background in basic cell biology. CAMB 691 will focus on key issues at the forefront of research in the areas of (1) channels and transporters, (2) protein trafficking through cellular pathways, and (3) cytoskeletal dynamics and molecular motors. The course format pairs faculty presentations with student-led discussion sessions highlighting important papers from the primary literature. Students will be evaluated on their presentations, their participation in class discussions, and weekly problem sets. Offered alternately in the spring semester with CAMB 692.
CAMB 692: Advanced Topics in Cell Biology and Physiology II
2009 Syllabus
An in-depth consideration of key topics in cell biology and physiology. This course will focus on three major aspects: (1) signal transduction; (2) cell cycle and apoptosis; and (3) cell division. The
course format will include both faculty lectures and student-led discussion sessions focusing on important papers from the primary literature. Students will be evaluated on their presentations and participation, as well as problem sets. Offered alternately in the spring semester with CAMB 691.
CAMB 532: Human Physiology
This course will present a survey of the physiology of most of the major organ systems. It will integrate knowledge of cellular and molecular mechanisms into an understanding
of function at the tissue, organ and organism levels. It will begin with a brief review of membrane physiology, followed by electrophysiology and signaling in nerve. Then, after a brief outline of neural
control systems and their role in homeostasis, it will present motility and muscle, the cardiovascular system, respiration, the renal and gastrointestinal systems, and selected topics from the endocrine system. As well as providing a basis of integrative physiology for students in fields such as bioengineering and pharmacology, it should be of interest to students of cellular and molecular biology and genetic
engineering who will need to appreciate the roles of specific systems and molecules at higher levels of organization. Offered fall semester.
Suggested Elective Courses:
CAMB 480/BIOL 480: Advanced Cell Biology
This course is designed for beginning graduate students and advanced undergraduate students with a particular enthusiasm for Cell Biology. CAMB/BIOL 480 does not attempt to cover all aspects of cell biology, and is therefore not appropriate for students seeking a lecture course that provides a comprehensive survey of the field. Rather, the primary objective of this course is to teach those students considering a career in the biomedical sciences how to read, discuss, and question research papers effectively.
Intensive classroom discussions focus on the experimental methods used, results obtained, interpretation of these results in the context of cell structure and function, and implications for further studies. There is no assigned text; students learn to critically evaluate current literature by reading original papers on selected topics in modern cell biology. Accordingly, class participation/discussion is essential and the grade will be determined significantly by that. In addition, there will be two exams including answering short questions and an assay critiquing an original paper that is selected on a topic in cell biology.
CAMB 511: Principles of Development
2009 Syllabus
This graduate course, which will include lectures and readings from the literature, is designed to provide a foundation in the principles of developmental biology. Topics covered will include: fertilization and cleavage, gastrulation, germ layer formation, tissue specification, morphogenesis, tissue differentiation, and organogenesis. Molecular mechanisms by which pattern formation is generated will be considered in depth. The use of modern molecular biology, genetics, and embryological manipulations will be discussed in the context of the analysis of developmental mechanisms. Offered spring semester.
CAMB 512: Cancer Genetics and Biology
Syllabus 2009
The course will involve lectures and readings of important papers on cancer genetics, cancer cell growth, metastasis, angiogenesis and experimental therapeutics. Offered spring semester
CAMB 518: Current Topics in Ion Channels
The course is a seminar format, specifically a journal club format, targeted
to graduate students and MD/PhD students interested in ion
channels. It meets
for one hour, once a week for graduate students and once every
other week for
the entire group with formal presentation. On alternate weeks
a faculty
member meets with students to discuss and review the contents
of each selected
article for the subsequent week's presentation. This is an
elective course
meant to excite and intellectually enlighten students regarding
the latest
advances in ion channel research. It includes a wide range
of ion channel
topics from basic biophysics, structure, and physiology to
cell biology and
clinical applications. It is attended by faculty, students,
and postdocs/
from the departments of Physiology, Pathology, Neuroscience,
Pharmacology,
Biochemistry & Biophysics, Psychiatry. We require a
written critique of each paper presented by other participants
during the semester, submitted prior to the formal presentation
of the paper. This critique will be graded by a faculty member,
as will the student's ,participation in both the preparatory
sessions and formal presentation ,sessions. In addition, the
student will make one formal presentation, also,graded by
a faculty member. A final grade would be based on all three
of these components.
CAMB 530: Seminar in Cell Cycle and Cancer
This seminar course will
focus on molecular events that regulate cell cycle transitions
and their relevance to human cancer. Topics will include control
of the G1/S and G2/M transitions, relationships between tumor
suppressor genes such as p16, Rb, p53 or oncogenes such as
cyclin D, cdc25A, MDM2 or c-myc and cell cycle control. Where
appropriate, the focus will be on understanding regulation
of cell cycle control through transcriptional induction of
gene expression, protein associations, posttranslational modifications
like phosphorylation or regulation of protein stability like
ubiquitin degradation. Although achieving an improved understanding
of mammalian cancer is a goal of the course, much of our knowledge
of the cell cycle derives from work done in more genetically
tractable organisms, such as yeasts, drosophila, and xenopus.
Offered fall semester.
CAMB 550: Genetic Principles
2009 Syllabus
This is a required course of the Genetics ad Gene Regulation Program and is
designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of genetic concepts and methodology. The course is
organized into three parts: I Fundamental genetic concepts; II Genetics of model organisms (with a focus on yeast, worms, flies and mice);
III Human genetics and disease. Each week there will be two lectures and one associated discusson/problem-solving session. Discussions emphasize
practical aspects of generating and interpreting genetic data. Offered spring semester.
CAMB 608: Regulation of Eukaryotic
Gene Expression
An advanced seminar course
emphasizing the molecular biology and molecular genetics of
transcription in eukaryotes. Based on current literature,
the presentations and discussions will familiarize the student
with present day technology and developing principles. Offered
fall semester.
CAMB 610: Molecular Basis of Gene
Therapy
This is a team-taught, survey course that focuses on
the basic science relevant to achieving efficient and effective gene transfer
in animal models and humans for the treatment of disease. The course includes
a unit devoted to a variety of vectors useful for gene transfer, with the remainder
of the course devoted to the study of current gene therapy approaches using specific
diseases as models. Prior background in biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular
biology is essential. Aspects of organ system anatomy and physiology, virology
and immunology that are relevant to the course material are included in the course.
Because of the rapid movement in this field, specific topics vary somewhat from
year to year. The course is designed for second year graduate students, however
first year students may take the course with the course director's approval. Lecture
format with discussion hours interspersed. There will be a take-home examination
at the end of each of the three sections, each focusing on the material covered
in that section. Offered fall semester.
CAMB 615: Topics in Conformational
Disease
Protein misfolding and
aggregation has been associated with a number of human diseases,
ranging from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease to Respiratory
Distress Syndrome, alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency and Mad
Cow Disease. This course will include lectures, directed readings
and student presentations to cover seminal and current papers
on the cell biology of conformational diseases including topics
such as aggresome formation, protein degradation pathways,
unfolded protein responses (UPR), effects of protein aggregation
on cell function and mutations which lead to autosomal dominant
diseases. This course is designed to provide a cell biological
perspective on disease which are associated with mutations
that induce protein misfolding (e.g. conformational disease).
This is meant to expand upon topics presented in BioM 600
in greater depth and in a medically relevant context. This
course is also designed to provide a cell biological perspective
to complement approaches taken in other courses. CAMB graduate
students, MD/PhD students or Postdocs/ interested in acquiring
a cell biological perspective on the topic are welcome. Students
will be required to participate in class discussions and will
give a seminar presentation in class. Students will choose
their own topic for seminar presentations. Offered fall semester.
CAMB 698: Elective Tutorials in Cell Biology
This tutorial course is designed to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of a specific topic in cell biology. The tutorial can be used to enable students to become more deeply acquainted with the literature related to their field of interest or to expand on a topic that the student found interesting in one of their basic courses. Interested students can choose from this list of faculty and proposed topics or make arrangements with faculty on their own. All arrangements, whether from the listing or independently set up, must be approved by the course director. Students taking the course will attend an initial organizational meeting. Students will meet weekly with faculty mentors to discuss the literature, and in the end will write a brief review article and give an oral presentation.
BIOL 486: Chromosomes and the Cell Cycle
Life depends on the propagation of genetic material from one generation to next through cycles of genome replication and cell division. The genome is copied by the parent, and one exact copy is inherited by each daughter cell. We will treat chromosomes as discrete entities, rather than collections of genes, that are replicated and divided with high fidelity to ensure that the genome remains stable over many generations. By reading selected primary literature covering several decades, we will build an understanding of the cell cycle by focusing on chromosomes and the associated molecular machinery. We will explore mechanisms that underlie replication and division, particularly control mechanism that maintain genome integrity and are critical to prevent disease. The goal of the course is to develop a picture of the cell cycle by examining some of the key experiments and insights that have led to our current understanding
There is no textbook for the course. Readings from the primary literature will be assigned for each meeting and provided as pdf files. Presentations of these papers and class participation, including questions and critical evaluation, are an essential part of the course. Grading will be based on one in-class exam during the semester (30%), a final paper (30%), and class participation (40%, including paper presentations).
Prerequisites: The course is designed for
advanced biology students who have taken BIOL 202 or equivalent.
It is also open to graduate students.
BMB 550: Molecular Mechanisms of
Signal Transduction and Control
The biochemistry of receptors, GTP-binding proteins,
effectors, second messengers, post-translational modification, etc. is examined
with the aim of understanding how cellular signal-response cycles such as growth,
secretion, electric activity, movement, etc. are controlled and how control may
be lost. Principles of signaling systems analysis are developed and used together
with kinetic, thermodynamic and specific molecular structure to understand the
best mapped specific systems. Offered spring semester.
INSC 572: The Electrical Language
of Cells
This course introduces students to the high-speed electro-chemical
signaling mechanisms that occur in nerve and other excitable cells during normal
activity. Topics considered in substantial detail include: a) a basic description
of the passive and active membrane electrical properties; b) the molecular architecture
and functional role of ion channels in cell signaling; c) the role of the calcium
ion as an ubiquitous chemical messenger, with applications to neuro-secretion
and muscle contraction; d) excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the central
nervous system; e) sensory transduction, as illustrated by the visual, olfactory
and auditory pathways. The course assumes a standard background in cell biology,
as well as basic concepts from college physics and college calculus. Offered fall
semester.