Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics

The study plans for this bachelor's and follow-up master's program have therefore been designed so that, after completing the follow-up master's program accredited by the Czech Ministry of Health, graduates obtain professional competence to practice a non-medical healthcare profession as a specialist in laboratory methods with the title of Mgr.

The bachelor's program provides comprehensive training in the fields that form the basis for the provision of healthcare laboratory services. During their bachelor's studies, graduates gradually acquire knowledge and skills through lectures and exercises in basic preparatory subjects (mathematics, medical biophysics, chemistry, biochemistry) and preclinical disciplines (anatomy, pharmacology, physiology, cytology, histology, hematology, microbiology, pathology), specialized genetic and molecular biology subjects, and related fields (communication skills, biostatistics), which are necessary for the profession of a specialist in laboratory methods. Due to its medical focus, this program emphasizes practical exercises. Students complete practical exercises where they acquire skills in working in chemical, cytological, and histological laboratories, working with microbial material, working with microscopes, processing biological data on computers, and become familiar with the basic methods of molecular biology and the operation of instruments most commonly used in genetic and molecular biology laboratories. The theoretical and practical skills acquired will optimally prepare students for the directly related master's program in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics.

Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate is able to:

• have theoretical knowledge in the field of preclinical medical sciences (anatomy, cytology, pharmacology, physiology, hematology, histology, immunology, biochemistry, pathology)
• understand the basic areas of medical microbiology, mycology, and parasitology
• demonstrate detailed knowledge of cell biology, general genetics, cytogenetics, the fundamentals of medical genetics, and molecular biology
• understand the principles and nature of changes in human genetic information and their impact on the and health
• know the basic lab techniques used in genetic, cytogenetic, and molecular biology diagnostic labs, both in theory and practice
• have basic practical skills in laboratory work in cytological and histological laboratories, working with microbial material
• know how to use basic lab and instrument tech used in healthcare
• obtain and process current scientific information from relevant sources independently, evaluate it critically, and process it into comprehensive communications

The primary objective of the bachelor's program is to prepare graduates for further study in a directly related master's program. After successfully completing the state bachelor's examination, graduates are expected to continue in a two-year master's program in healthcare Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics, after which they will have acquired sufficient knowledge and skills of the required quality in accordance with the requirements of the Czech Ministry of Health for the regulated healthcare profession of "Specialist in Laboratory Methods." At the same time, thanks to the number of practical exercises, graduates of the bachelor's program should be sufficiently prepared, both professionally and practically, to perform basic laboratory work in cytogenetic, molecular biology, and other laboratories in the public and private sectors.

• No professional status

With regard to its focus on healthcare, this bachelor's program has an increased number of hours allocated to practical exercises, which are compulsory for students. Overall, during the bachelor's program, which consists of 13-week semesters, students complete approximately 440 hours of practical laboratory exercises throughout the entire bachelor's program.

The bachelor's thesis is a literary review of a specialized topic in the field of biomedicine, which students prepare on a given topic based on recent professional publications. The bachelor's thesis is not an independent research project and therefore does not contain laboratory data. Detailed instructions for writing a bachelor's thesis in the Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics program are published on the website of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology of the Institute of Experimental Biology (see below).

Follow-up master's program in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics.