Course Schedule

DAY 1

Monday

9.00-10.00

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

Welcome address from the organisers.  Coffee and croissants to be served.  Receive welcome packs

10.00-13.00

Cruciform 
Wet Lab 2

Practical Session 1: 

Pre-practical talk: “Mammalian cell cultures: aseptic techniques and guidelines”

Part 1: Culturing and maintenance of Cos7 (monkey kidney fibroblast cell line) and hybridoma cells.
The techniques of growing cells on the substrate (Cos7) and in suspension (hybridoma cells) will be taught

Part 2:  Counting mammalian cells

Training in the use of hemocytometer and an automated handheld cell counter

13.00-14.30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

Lunch

14.30-15.30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

Lecture 1:  Dr. Selina Wray

Stem Cell biology

15.30-18.00

Cruciform

Wet Lab 2

Practical Session 2

Pre-practical talk: “Transfection of mammalian cells: moving nucleic acids into cells”

Part 1: Transient transfection of Cos7 cells
Transient transfection of Cos7 cells with pEGFP-N1/GFP and pEGFP-N1/GFP-CoA synthase using TurboFect transfection reagent (Fermentas)

Part 2:  Cryopreservation of mammalian cells (hybridoma cells)

 Part 3:  The experience will be gained in setting up sterility tests

 18.30 - 21.00

The Haldane Room Hub, Anatomy

Welcome reception: wine and cheese to be served and the opportunity to meet lecturers and tutors

 DAY 2
Tuesday

9.00-10.00

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

Lecture 2:  Prof Geraint Thomas
"Interactions Between Cells and their Environments:  General Principles in Cell Signalling and Signal Transduction"

10.00-10.30

Cruciform Foyer
Meeting Room 1

Coffee break and discussion

10.30 - 13.00

Cruciform

Wet Lab 2

Practical Session 3:

Pre-practical talk: “Cellular response to growth factors, hormones and stresses”

Part 1: Treatment of cells with paclitaxel, doxorubicin (DNA intercalating drug, cytotoxic), cisplatin.  The effect of tested drugs will be examined in the Celltiter cell proliferation assay.  Discussion of the involvement of signal transduction pathways in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation and survival in mammalian cells.

Part 2: Revival of cryopreserved mammalian cells

1300 - 14:30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

Lunch

14.30-15.30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 1

 Lecture 3:  Dr. Sunil Veeravalli
"Regulation of Cellular Metabolism"

15.30-18.00

Cruciform
Dry Lab 3

Tutorial 1: Digital fluorescence cell imaging
Prof. Geraint Thomas
The objective of this practical tutorial is to gain an appreciation of the nature of the digital immunofluorescence microscopy image and to experiment with semi-quantification.  It will be carried out in the computer cluster room.  The participants have the opportunity to gain the experience in using various computer programs in order to compare the intensity of immunofluorescent signals.

DAY 3

Wednesday

9.00 - 10.00

Pearson LT G22

 Lecture 4:  Professor Ivan Gout
"Mammalian 3D cell culture: techniques and applications"

10.00-10.30

Pearson LT G22

 Coffee break and discussion

10.30-13.00

 Wet Lab 2

Practical Session 4     This session is sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific

Pre-practical talk: James Watson, Thermo Fisher Scientific “Introducing the EVOS range of microscopes”

Part 1:  Testing cell viability and proliferation by the CellTiter cell proliferation assay (initiation of the assay). 

Pre-practical talk: “The application of GFP in cell biology”

Part 2. The participants will compare the transfection efficiency and subcellular localisation of expressed proteins.

Part 3:  examination of revived hybridoma cells

13.00-14.30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 3

Lunch

14.30-15.30

Cruciform Foyer Meeting Room 3

Lecture 5: Professor David Gems
"Understanding the Biology of Ageing"

15.30-18.00

Cruciform

Wet Lab 2

Practical Session 5

Pre-practical talk: “The application of the MTT cell proliferation assay” (
Part 1:  Completion and analysis of the Cell Proliferation Assay
The participants will assess the viability and proliferation of cells grown in the presence or absence of Rapamycin (mTOR kinase inhibitor), doxorubicin (cytotoxic, DNA intercalating drug) and Wortmannin (P13K inhibitor) using the MTT Cell Proliferation Assay.  It is a colorimentric assay which offers a quantitative method for evaluating cellular response to diverse modulators of cell growth and survival.
Part 2
Summing Up Tutorial 2:  the participants will have the opportunity to discuss the application of acquired techniques in experimental set-up relevant to their research projects.
Presentation of course certificates to participants