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The International Summer School, Piran, Slovenia, August 20 – 28, 2010 is a PhD-level course for graduate students in life sciences focusing on methods in stem cell biology. This year´s title is Advanced Methods in Cell Biology. The Summer School is organized as a PhD level course for graduate students in biotechnology and life sciences, with the focus on methods in cellular biology. The aim is to introduce the students to various methods used in all fields of cellular biology. This goes from culturing cells and characterization to systems biology and bioinformatics. Lecturers are mostly from stem cell research, but laboratory methods are similar in all fields of cellular biology, so this summer school is meant wider than just stem cell research. Topics will include culture conditions and influences on cell phenotype, in vitro differentiation induction, bioreactors, cell sorting, flow cytometry, single cell PCR, real time PCR, microarrays, immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy, transcriptional profiling, systems biology and bioinformatics, state of the art in stem cells and regenerative medicine, culturing ESC, derivation and culturing of iPS cells, the oxygene stem cell paradigm and regulation and legislation from stem cell research. The course will include lectures and laboratory demonstrations of basics of cell culturing, identifying cells (immunocytochemistry), hESC cultures (feeder and feeder-free), derivation of iPS cells, histological techniques and skils for identifying tissue types in teratomas, cell sorting and microarrays, mouse embryo chimeras, magnetic separation of cells, super-array profiling... Laboratory demonstration will be based on stem cells. The methods that cannot not be performed will be just simulated. Summer school will also give option to all the participants to introduce their work. At the beginning random study groups will be formed with the aim to discuse study topics daily and to work on mini projects. At the end of school there will be a written exam. In frame of school there will be a symposium with a title Frontiers in Stem Cell Research. |