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Unit of study_

HSTO3003: Cells and Development: Theory

The main emphasis of this unit of study concerns the mechanisms that control animal development. Early developmental processes including fertilisation, cleavage, and gastrulation leading to the formation of the primary germ layers and subsequent body organs are described in a range of animals, mainly vertebrates. Stem cells of both embryonic and adult origin will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on the parts played by inductive cell and tissue interactions in cell and tissue differentiation, morphogenesis and pattern formation. This will be studied at both cellular and molecular levels.

Code HSTO3003
Academic unit Department of Medical Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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72cp of 1000 to 3000 level units
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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(ANAT2008 or BMED2401 or MEDS2005) and Human biology; BIOL1XX8 or BIOL1XX3 or MEDS1X01

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Learning Goals The main emphasis of this unit of study concerns the mechanisms that control animal development. Fertilisation, cleavage, gastrulation and the formation of the primary germ layers are described in a range of animals, mainly vertebrates. Much of the emphasis will be placed on the parts played by inductive cell and tissue interactions in cell and tissue differentiation, morphogenesis and pattern formation. This will be studied at both cellular and molecular levels. Learning Outcomes Students taking this Unit learn about the processes of animal development and examine the major questions in developmental biology. By the end of the unit of study, students should have an in-depth knowledge of: *fertilisation, cleavage, gastrulation and formation of the primary germ layers. *the differentiation of the primary germ layers and organogenesis. *the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control tissue morphogenesis and differentiation. *the mechanisms that control differential gene expression leading to cell and tissue differentiation. In addition, students in this unit of study should understand and develop: -the intellectual and technical skills required for asking and answering questions related to cellular and developmental processes, -an overall appreciation for the complexity of developmental processes, -become familiar with the powerful cellular and molecular tools that are currently available for dissecting out these processes.

Unit outlines

Unit outlines will be available 2 weeks before the first day of teaching for the relevant session.