BB807: Molecular Toxicology
Study Board of Science
Teaching language: Danish, but English if international students are enrolled
EKA: N110007102, N110007112
Assessment: Second examiner: Internal, Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale, Pass/Fail
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master's level course approved as PhD course
STADS ID (UVA): N110007101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 20-02-2023
Duration: 1 semester
Version: Approved - active
Entry requirements
Academic preconditions
Students taking the course are expected to:
- Have knowledge of basic toxicology, chemistry and biochemistry
- Be able to use basic chemical and biochemical knowledge to recognise chemical and cellular structures
Course introduction
The aim of the course is to enable the student to understand, at the molecular level, the mechanisms behind toxicity and the relations between the cellular defence systems against toxicity. This is important in regard to reading and understanding advanced original literature on toxicological subjects. The course also aims to enable students to understand, process and present toxicological effects of chemicals, which is important in relation to being able to perform hazard assessment of chemicals, understand the side effects of medicinal products and understand toxicological effects due to interactions between chemicals.
The course builds on the knowledge acquired in the course BB526: Elementary Ecotoxicology (5 ECTS) and/or BB551: Toxicology (10 ECTS) and provides an academic basis for in-depth study of toxicology in programmes such as biology, pharmacy and biomedicine.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:
- Give the competence to understand advanced toxicological original research papers and give skills to generalise about the fate of chemicals from their chemical structure
- Give practical skills in planning and performing laboratory experiments based on original literature
- Give knowledge and understanding of molecular mechanisms of toxicity and defence systems against toxicity
The aim of the course is to enable the student to work with an assessment of the toxicity of chemicals based on chemical structures and molecular mechanisms, which is relevant in work in e.g., industry, the pharmaceutical industry, environmental consultancy companies and authorities working with chemicals such as the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Health Authority.
Expected learning outcome
The learning objectives of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:
- Describe the biochemical pathways leading to the bioactivation of selected chemicals
- Predict the metabolic fate of compounds from their chemical structure
- Describe the molecular mechanisms behind the deleterious effects of selected chemicals on membranes, proteins and DNA
- Discuss impact and timing of toxic manifestations in the cell
- Discuss toxic effects on the organ level as a consequence of molecular events
- Describe the cellular defence systems against oxidative stress, metals and lipophilic compounds
- Discuss the interrelation between defence systems and the consequences of suppression of sub-systems
- Give an oral presentation of a toxicological topic after studying independently original literature
Content
The following main topics are contained in the course:
- Cellular transport of xenobiotics; selective accumulation and organ specific toxicity.
- Bioactivation of compounds by the Phase-I and Phase-II systems
- Oxidative stress, free radicals and lipid peroxidation of cell membranes
- Covalent binding of chemicals to biological macromolecules
- Nuclear receptor mediated toxicity
Literature
Examination regulations
Exam element a)
Timing
January
Prerequisites
| Type | Prerequisite name | Prerequisite course |
|---|---|---|
| Examination part | Prerequisites for participating in the exam a) | N110007101, BB807: Molecular Toxicology |
Tests
Written exam
EKA
N110007102
Assessment
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Examination aids
The exam is without aids. However, standard build in calculator in Windows/MAC are allowed. It is also allowed to use Maple, Mathematica, Mathcad, MathLab, GeoGebra Apps, R, R-Studio, CAS TI-Nspire, Ms Excel or LibreOffice Calc. WordMat is allowed but not recommended. Use of WordMat is at your own risk and no support is provided for errors caused by the program. For drawing it is also allowed to use ChemBioDraw. Furthermore, it is also allowed to use language translation dictionaries (e.g. Danish/English, Danish/German, Danish/French and Danish/Spanish etc) in "ordbogsprogrammet" (the dictionary programme) from http://www.ordbogen.com/ in electronic form. The browser version is not allowed.
Internet is not allowed during the exam. However, you may visit the course site in itslearning in connection with accessing system DE-Digital Exam and filling out the multiple-choice questions.
ECTS value
5
Additional information
The re-exam is changed to an oral exam if there are 5 or fewer students enrolled. One week before the re-exam day, the enrolled students receive an individual assignment consisting of a scientific article and a series of questions. The article must be presented, and the questions answered in a presentation of 10-15 minutes. Then some questions will be asked about the material and the relation to the course. Duration: about 25-30 minutes incl. grading.
Prerequisites for participating in the exam a)
Timing
Autumn
Tests
Lab work
EKA
N110007112
Assessment
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Full name and SDU username
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Examination aids
To be announced during the course
ECTS value
0
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
Teacher responsible
Additional teachers
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bente Frost Holbech | bfj@biology.sdu.dk | Økotoksikologi | |
| Katrine Clement Kirkegaard | katrine@biology.sdu.dk | Økotoksikologi |
Timetable
Administrative Unit
Team at Educational Law & Registration
Offered in
Recommended course of study
Transition rules
Transitional arrangements describe how a course replaces another course when changes are made to the course of study.
If a transitional arrangement has been made for a course, it will be stated in the list.
See transitional arrangements for all courses at the Faculty of Science.