In 2023, the Master's program underwent a substantial update, resulting in its present format. Detailed module descriptions are now accessible on this page, alongside the revised study regulations and module handbook. These new regulations are applicable to students enrolling from 2023 onwards.
Students who commenced their studies in 2022 or earlier are governed by the previous study regulations and module handbook.
The diagram below offers a clear overview of the updated program structure, organizing course modules according to their respective semesters. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to include both compulsory and elective courses, providing students with the flexibility to customize their education to align with their personal and professional interests, thereby enhancing their career prospects.The module consists of three main areas:
After completing this module, students will be familiar with key topics like animal welfare, bioethics, genetic engineering laws, biosafety, and patent rights.
Students engage deeply and independently with both the theoretical and practical aspects of their studies, including planning and conducting scientific experiments in an English-speaking academic environment. They evaluate, present, and discuss experimental approaches and solutions following good scientific practices. They learn and apply fundamental techniques in molecular biology, protein biochemistry, immunology, and cell biology, while also gaining proficiency in bioinformatics. The program emphasizes compliance with ethical standards and safety guidelines, particularly in genetic engineering and animal experimentation. Upon completion, students are equipped with a broad range of methodological skills applicable in various elective modules.
The "Selected Topics in Cell Biology" lecture series covers physiological, cellular, molecular, and biochemical fundamentals of various animal and plant cells, physical cell and structural biology, cell interaction mechanisms, cell-matrix recognition, signal transduction, embryonic development, nervous system development, neuron functions, and basics of light microscopy.
Alongside the lectures, students participate in a seminar on the same topic, discussing original publications relevant to the lectures. The seminar also teaches the basics of scientific discussion moderation and evaluation of scientific work. Students attend four cell biology-focused institute colloquia.
Students develop a broad interdisciplinary foundation in cell biology and light microscopy, including their applications. They can outline scientific research concepts and link different subfields and paradigms of cell biology. Students present their findings in a seminar, processing information from original publications, and apply skills in leading and moderating scientific discussions.
The "Selected Topics in Cell Biology of Higher Eukaryotes" lecture series covers cellular, molecular, physiological, structural, and physical aspects of higher eukaryotes' cell development and function. Topics include gene expression, receptor systems, signal transduction, apoptosis, vesicular cell transport, stem cell concepts, organ development (focusing on the heart), cellular plasticity, and tumor biology. The course also addresses data processing, particularly for image data in light microscopy.
A seminar accompanying the lecture series has students discussing relevant original publications, covering basics of scientific discussion, moderation, and evaluation of scientific work.
In the "Applied Immunology" lecture, students learn about innate and acquired immunity, immunological basics of allergies and vaccination, and initial human trials of drugs. The series concludes with a guest lecture on applied immunology.
Students have to attend four cell biology-focused institute colloquia.
Upon completion, students are familiar with cell biology and immunology fundamentals and their applications, including basic data processing in light microscopy. They can present cell biology research concepts using various model organisms, identifying and linking different subfields and paradigms of cell biology. Students extract and critically analyze key concepts from original publications, presenting them to an audience, and apply their skills in leading and moderating scientific discussions.
The seminar "Work with Literature, Figure Design and Outreach" discusses the structure of scientific works, including tools for literature search, efficient archiving, and text processing. It also covers creating high-quality scientific illustrations and the digital skills required for this. The seminar emphasizes how scientists can communicate their findings to both colleagues and laypeople, focusing on presenting complex topics in a clear, understandable manner.
In "Molecular Basics of Vertebrate Genetics," students discuss specific and current concepts in genetics, from eukaryotic gene structure and expression regulation to function analysis. The focus is on methodology, using scientific papers for discussion. Topics include gene knock-out/knock-down, genome editing, functional gene silencing, creating reporter, transgenic, and mutated lines using various model organisms. Practical and theoretical insights into transcriptional gene expression analysis with RT-qPCR and Nanopore sequencing are provided through lab work, data analysis, and literature review.
Students also attend seminars from the Department of Biosciences, totaling one credit point. Information about these seminars is available on the program's website.
Students read and understand scientific literature, integrating it into a scientific context. They know and use literature search and management tools, analyze research data, interpret it, and engage in scientific discussions, including on alternative methods. Students understand and apply rules for creating scientific illustrations, evaluate and suggest improvements for these illustrations, and identify suitable visualizations for their data. Group work enhances their teamwork and discussion skills. Students use and communicate scientific terminology, making it understandable to laypeople. They are familiar with the structure of scientific works and can plan experimental approaches to biological questions.
Students engage in small groups, leveraging knowledge gained from lectures along with relevant literature, to explore the molecular bases of various diseases. These include complex conditions like neurodegenerative diseases (specifically Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), diabetes, various forms of cancer, and a range of immunological disorders. This collaborative approach not only enriches their understanding but also hones their research and analytical skills. They present and discuss their group work findings in a plenary session, fostering an exchange of ideas and perspectives among all participants.
Students can assess the significance of various, even contradictory, theories and research concepts and apply them in new contexts.
The module includes project work and a seminar aimed at providing students with the structure, background, and essential theoretical foundations for developing a research concept in a specific area of cell biology. Students are expected to delve into current literature, identify critical open questions, and devise research strategies for addressing them. The research concept may be drafted as a grant proposal, potentially serving as a funding application for their Master's project.
The seminar includes an introduction to the basics of project management and discusses economic aspects relevant to grant proposal writing.
Upon completing the module, students will be familiar with developing scientific research concepts and integrating them into grant proposals. They independently draft such proposals, understanding the economic and financial aspects involved. Additionally, students will apply basic project management principles in future research projects.
The module consists of a practical lab course and a seminar, designed to intensively teach students the essential experimental techniques of the specialized field targeted for their Master's thesis. This approach ensures that the students are well-prepared to successfully complete their thesis within the allotted time frame.
Upon completing the module, students will be familiar with the practical foundations directly related to their Master's thesis in the chosen subfield and will apply these skills independently. They will be capable of efficiently sourcing methodological information from publications and the internet, assessing the feasibility of methodological approaches, and acquiring the skills for method critique and artifact evaluation.
Students have the option to choose courses that cover presentation techniques, conflict management, topics in personal development and society, science ethics, entrepreneurship, and other soft skills such as discussion leadership, conflict resolution, and lecture delivery. Such courses are offered, for example, by the Academic Key Competence Training (https://www.starkerstart.uni-frankfurt.de/45043283/Schl%C3%BCsselkompetenzen) and the Career Service of Goethe University (https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/94774699/Career_Service).
Information about the recognition and availability of soft skills courses can also be found on the program's webpage.
The acquisition and enhancement of non-scientific competencies and soft skills, varying according to the chosen course.
Upon completing the module, students will be able to generate a scientific question and integrate their findings into existing literature. They will produce written work in a scientific publication style and apply modern research methods. Additionally, they will be skilled in critically evaluating these methods.
Familiarity with carrying out well controlled behavioural experiments (animal handling, measuring and analysing behavioural data, statistical analysis). Performing physiological measurements including electrophysiological recording in minimally invasive preparations. Additional aspects are: introduction to software for data handling, signal processing, and graphical display. Deriving scientific questions from the current literature. Knowledge about the usage and limitations of animal models for neurological diseases.
Familiarity with carrying out physiological experiments (animal handling, surgery, measuring and analyzing electrical activity at the single neuron level. Combining physiology with neuroanatomical and histological staining techniques. Basic introduction to behavioural control. Introduction to software for data handling, signal processing, statistical analysis and graphical display. Understanding cognitive influences on sensory information processing as an important aspect of context-dependent behaviour. Deriving scientific questions from the current literature.
Planning, conducting and analysing of behavioural physiological experiments; measuring of ionic currents; behavioural observations and quantifications; neuroanatomical methods. Approaching scientific topics; literature work. Preparing of scientific texts, posters and talks.
The student learns the basic concepts of classical two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional cell culture. She or he is aware of several applications of three-dimensional cell cultures and knows which cell types are used in the Life Sciences. He or she understands the principles of optics in classical microscopy (characteristics of light, resolution, aperture) as well as photometry (energy, power). The student knows the differences between confocal and light sheet-based fluorescence microscopy and is be able to estimate the limits of classical light microscopy in dense tissues. She or he masters the formation, isolation and staining of spheroids, cysts, organoids and three-dimensional tissue slices. The student has experience in the preparation of the specimens for different microscopes as well as the acquisition and processing of the images and the analysis of the data. At the end of the module the student presents the results in a in written report and a talk.
The student learns the principles of insect model organisms, such as Tribolium, in developmental biology. He or she is aware of current scientific questions in developmental biology and knows how to handle transgenic organisms. He or she understands the principles of optics in classical microscopy (characteristics of light, resolution, numerical aperture) as well as photometry (energy, power). The student knows the differences between confocal and light sheet-based fluorescence microscopy and is be able to estimate the limits of classical light microscopy in dense tissues. He or she understands laboratory cultivation of Tribolium as well as preparation methods for confocal and light sheet-based fluorescence microscopes, in the context of long-term live imaging of Tribolium embryos in toto. The student analyses the data and understands the basics of scientific image processing and the embryonic development of Tribolium.
The interns work under guidance on their own individual project based on the actual research topics of the Stelzer group. At the end of the course, they summarize their results and findings in a protocol and prepare a seminar under the guidance of their advisor.
Skills taught: Knowledge to isolate plant cell organelles, independent characterization of organelle proteins, sterile working, culturing and transfection of cells, working with the fluorescence microscope and computational evaluation of experimental data and image files, knowledge in the analysis of transgenic plants, independent handling of scientific questions in the context of relevant scientific literature.
Independent conduct of functional annotation of sequences, of bioinformatics annotation transfer and of prediction of functionally equivalent proteins under consideration of evolutionary relation-ships; Ability for management and bioinformatics analysis of large sequence sets; Mining of public databases; Knowledge of relational database systems; Generation and interpretation of phylogenetic profiles; Introduction into independent scientific research on the background of relevant literature.
The students will learn to plan and to perform complex immunological experiments.
The results of the practical course are presented by every student on the form of a written protocol and a talk at the end of the course. The students also take part on the weekly lab meetings where they learn about the ongoing research of all the members of the group. In a Journal Club every student learns to presents a recent publication on the field of immunology and in context of their own projects.
Students learn the basic techniques to study cellular and molecular aspects of developmental genetics (as detailed above). By the end of the course they have been in direct contact with zebrafish or mice and learn how to handle a zebrafish or mouse colony. The students are in an international environment and learn how to write and communicate their results in English.
This training aims at learning different techniques from the above-mentioned fields, including cell culture of cell lines and primary cells, siRNA-mediated knock-down of genes, preparation of histological sections including staining, confocal microscopy and image analysis, PCR, Western blots, immunoprecipitation, etc.
Students learn the basic techniques of molecular and developmental biology including zebrafish handling and modern live imaging techniques as detailed above. By the end of the course they have been in direct contact with mice and learn how to handle a mouse colony. The students are in an international environment and learn how to write and communicate their results in English.
Students will be familiarized with scientific literature; will have additional knowledge in RNA biology and special methods of transcript analysis.
They will get practical experience in sterile working with cells and their analysis. At the end of the course they will be able to work with cell cultures for further analysis. They learn how to write, communicate and present their results in English language.
By the end of the course, the students should be able to: (1) Understand basic concepts of bioacoustics such as the sound as a mechanical wave, sound transduction using microphones, analogue-to-digital conversion using sound cards. (2) Measure basic parameters of a sound wave (frequency, duration, intensity). (3) Perform basic surgeries required for acquiring neuronal data. (4) Understand basic neuroscience concepts such as: action potential, local field potential, receptive field, brain topography,
spike clustering, brain oscillations. (5) Testing hypothesis using basic statistical tests (normality tests, parametric and non-parametric t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVA)).
Students learn the basic techniques for studying cellular, molecular, and systemic neurobiology (as detailed above). They work with cultured cells under sterile conditions, with the epifluorescence microscope and the stereo microscope. The students will be trained in zebrafish embryo handling and basic genetic techniques, and quantify and analyse the obtained data and images. The students are in an international environment and learn how to write and communicate their results in English.
The goal of the module is to provide and extend programming skills, data analysis methods and modelling approaches for dynamical or spatio-temporal processes, or large data sets. Students should be able to apply these methods/approaches in their future research and use them as a foundation for further development. Independent research, usage of original literature, and scientific writing will be strengthened.
During the internship, students learn how genetic manipulation and analysis of a multicellular model organism can help to understand complex cellular relationships that can lead to the development of neurodegenerative disorders.
In this elective module, the student will learn fundamental techniques used to in the research area of neurodegenerative disorders (as described above) by using the mouse model organism. In vivo 2-Photon imaging enables us to record systemic as well as cellular processes in real time. The students are presented with the opportunity to observe in vivo animal handling and the live imaging process. The acquired data will be analyzed by the students, teaching them basic Image- and data analysis skills. The immunohistochemical stainings of brain sections will teach the students the technique as well as the underlying scientific question of the experiment. Moreover, the students will work with cultured cells under sterile conditions, with the epifluorescence – and stereo microscope. The students are in an international environment and learn how to write and communicate their results in English.
Students can plan, carry out and analyse experiments used to investigate psychiatric disorders. Students learn and develop scientific approaches and literature research. The students document their results and communicate them in oral and written form. In a series of seminars (including the opportunity to participate in case presentations), students also acquire basic knowledge of the psychiatric disorders studied and are able to describe them.
The students will learn how to use various CRISPR systems to dissect gene regulatory programs in the cardiovascular system and related cells, which of course can be applied to any other field of research. They learn how to ‘read’ and interpret whole genome data to direct hypothesis on gene regulation and how to design genetic manipulation experiments to verify them.
The practical course teaches students how to implement translational research approaches. In particular, they learn how to use molecular genetic and bioinformatics methods to link findings from the cell model with patient data and vice versa.
Institute of Cell Biology & Neuroscience
Biologicum | Room 2.122
Max-von-Laue-Str. 13
60438 Frankfurt
T: +49 69 798-42018
Info-MasterPBIOC@bio.uni-frankfurt.de
Programme Director
Prof. Dr. Stefan Eimer
Institute of Cell Biology & Neuroscience
Biologicum | Room 2.118
E-Mail
Examinations Office
Sandra Luckert
Biozentrum | N101 | Room 1.07
T +49 69 798-46475
F +49 69 798-46470
E-Mail