Experimental Animal Biology and Immunology

The mission of the master's degree in Experimental Animal Biology and Immunology is to educate and prepare professionals to work in laboratories and institutions that require the standards of international excellence in laboratory work on animal models from the cellular and molecular level to the level of whole organisms and applicable to humans. The programme offers complete training from theoretical knowledge to the mastery of modern biomedical research and analytical techniques. In this respect, the programme is related to the undergraduate programme of the same name taught at the MU Faculty of Science, but is open to all students who meet the given prerequisites. The specificity and advantage of the field of study among other programmes lies primarily in the fact that it forms a researcher with work and methodological habits for the vast fields of veterinary and human medicine, where graduates of the relevant faculties are prepared more for clinical practice. Another specificity is the application of the developmental and comparative principle as a key to understanding the current state of the art, pathologies and completely new possibilities for their treatment. The programme comprises three related research areas methodologically covering a significant part of today's key biomedical topics. These areas, forming the three specialisations of the programme, are: physiology, immunology and developmental biology. Methodologically, all specialisations share an emphasis on the use of molecular genetic methods, which are an essential standard for any cutting-edge, complex field.

The study of the programme cultivates analytical thinking in the rapidly evolving biomedical disciplines. Courses and seminars develop skills in critically analyzing the relevance of scientific communications and finding solutions to specific problems. The emphasis in the core courses is on the final synthetic integration of knowledge gained from previous study and understanding the interconnectedness of the function of the whole organism at all levels. This perspective is then expanded to include certain pathologies, developmental defects and toxicological aspects with a view to increasing the employability of graduates in biomedical practice. The methodologically oriented courses provide a link with the practice of modern biological research.

The student's own scientific project, guided and consulted with the supervisor, has the character of an independent solution of a scientific problem and completes the student's comprehensive preparation for a research career. Thanks to the established collaborations, the programme offers a wide range of topics and training sites where student projects can be carried out from basic research to highly applied laboratories.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• synthesize the structure and function of animal systems from the cellular to the organismal level.
• describe the principles of control of physiological, embryological and immune processes, including a general overview of the causes of pathologies.
• discuss the immunological and physiological principles of the animal organism from a comparative and developmental perspective.
• apply correct methodological and statistical procedures to the most common areas of laboratory tasks in contemporary biomedical practice.
• orient independently in the information offer of his/her field. Critically discuss the relevance of information sources and take a position on published messages.
• process his/her own results, integrate them into the current state of knowledge, present, discuss and defend them.
• creatively and independently carry out research and development activities in various areas of experimental biology, including leading research project teams.
• communicate in English especially in the field of natural sciences, e.g. written scientific communications or oral presentations of results

Graduates of the master's degree in Experimental Animal Biology and Immunology receive more comprehensive training for independent and internationally compatible scientific work than students of medical and veterinary faculties. They can offer employers an overview of current issues and methods in biomedical research, particularly in the fields of developmental biology, immunology and physiology. They will find employment primarily as scientists in basic and applied biomedical research at universities, at the Academy of Sciences or departmental and private institutions. They work as laboratory managers in biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies and in clinical laboratories of human and veterinary medicine, including reproductive medicine.

Not relevant to the programme.

The master thesis is the student's basic project, which proves his/her professional and scientific competence as a researcher who solves a comprehensive scientific problem under supervision. The thesis focuses on relevant questions in physiology, immunology, or developmental biology as assigned by the thesis supervisors. Topics are approved by the appropriate board. The student must demonstrate in his/her thesis the ability to work and think critically with information on the assigned problem. They must be able to design an experimental solution and its implementation. They must be able to process, evaluate, discuss, draw conclusions from data, present and defend these. With his thesis, the student demonstrates the ability to publish his results in the form of a written publication with all its requisites. The formal requirements are described on the Institute's website.

Graduates can continue their doctoral studies in the Animal Physiology, Immunology and Developmental Biology programme at the MU Faculty of Science, but at their choice anywhere in prestigious departments of physiology, immunology and developmental biology in the Czech Republic and abroad.