aVLBI0121c Medical Biology I - practice

Faculty of Medicine
autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/3/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Lívia Eiselleová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Kateřina Cetkovská, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Andrej Bešše, Dr. sc. nat. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Lenka Bešše, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Pooja Dudeja (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Kateřina Francová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Jana Orlíčková (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Petra Pospíšilová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Viktor Kostohryz (seminar tutor)
prof. MUDr. Iva Slaninová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Kateřina Straková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Vlad-Constantin Ursachi (seminar tutor)
Ing. Natália Vadovičová (seminar tutor)
Jana Růžičková (assistant)
Mgr. Anna Dorotíková (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D.
Department of Biology – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Contact Person: Ing. Lívia Eiselleová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Biology – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Prerequisites
Knowledge of high-school biology on the level of Overview of High School Biology (https://is.muni.cz/auth/do/med/el/overview/overview_ENG.qwarp) or similar is required.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objectives of the course are:
- learning how to use the light microscope to observe prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and various cellular structures and processes
- ability to assess the risk of numerical and structural aberrations due to meiotic non-disjunctions and chromosomal translocations
- understanding of methods for assessing the cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis and cell death
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to:
- operate the light microscope
- perform some of the basic cytochemical staining techniques in the observation of bacterial and human cells
- explain the basic principles and use of electron microscopy
- describe the basic techniques and applications of tissue and cell cultures
- deduce the impact of selected DNA mutations on the primary structure of proteins
- explain the methodology of assembling and examining the karyotype and its use, and evaluate basic numerical and structural aberrations in assigned human karyotypes
- evaluate the risk of numerical and structural aberrations resulting from meiotic nondisjunction and chromosomal translocations
- use some of the basic techniques of molecular biology to monitor the cell cycle and cell death
- describe the stages of cell division
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Instructions. Non-cellular organisms and infectious agents
  • Week 2: Prokaryotic cells, basics of light microscopy
  • Week 3: Microscopic observation of eukaryotic cells
  • Week 4: In vitro culture of human cells
  • Week 5: Principles of electron microscopy and cellular ultrastructure
  • Week 6: Control test 1 (knowledge of the weeks 1 to 5 from practices and lectures) + pipetting workshop
  • Week 7: DNA structure, DNA replication, gene expression
  • Week 8: Basic methods of Molecular Biology I.
  • Week 9: Human karyotype and chromosomal aberrations
  • Week 10: Mitosis and meiosis observation under a light microscope
  • Week 11: Methods for studying cell cycle
  • Week 12: Methods for studying cell death
  • Week 13: Control test 2 (knowledge of the weeks 7 to 12 - from practices and lectures) + microscopic exam
  • Week 14: no practice - dissection week, re-sit of control tests
Literature
    required literature
  • Actual protocols for practices are provided in electronic form in the Information System of the Masaryk University (IS): Study Materials of the course aVLBI0121c
Teaching methods
laboratory practice, class discussion
Assessment methods
Requirements for course completion: full attendance in the practices (1 unexcused absence is allowed); all protocols completed (also for missed lessons) and checked and signed by appropriate teachers; successfully passed 2 written control tests during the semester (knowledge from lectures and practices, 20 questions in each test, 1 answer correct to be chosen from 4 possibilities, student needs to reach at least 24 points out of 40 from both of the tests). If you do not pass the control tests (you have less than 24 points), you have two possibilities to write a re-sit of control tests.
In case of a student’s late arrival to the practice or poor activity at the practice, the student is required to write an essay of a length of 2 pages on a given topic. Same for the case of the 2nd and any additional absences in practices (excused or unexcused). Find the instructions for essay writing in the Course-related instructions in the IS.
In case of 3 absences (or more than 3 absences all excused by the Office for Studies within five days from the beginning of the absence and introduced to the Information System), it is addressed individually, and course-unit credit is awarded only after the proof of the student's knowledge of the entire semester topics (Credit test, see above).
Course-unit credit is not awarded in the case of 4 or more unexcused absences.
Language of instruction
English
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/med/podzim2025/aVLBI0121c/index.qwarp
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, autumn 2018, autumn 2019, autumn 2020, autumn 2021, autumn 2022, autumn 2023, autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (autumn 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/autumn2025/aVLBI0121c