Reproduction / IVF

Content

 

Credit load:        7.5 ECTS	Course code:   BMW30805
Coordinator:      B.M. Gadella, PhD	Period:              3
Examiner:           B.M. Gadella, PhD	Time Slot:         AD
E-mail address:  b.m.gadella@uu.nl	Level:                 3
Phone:                +3130 253 5386

 
Content:
Topics covered by oral teaching by experts in the research field:

• Regulation of oogenesis & follicogenesis and processes involved in follicle development;
• The female hormonal cycle, regulation of ovulation, pathologies in the female cycle and intervention possibilities for the human species.
• The process of spermatogenesis, the functional concept of sperm cell, the importance of sperm maturation, transport, and activation (capacitation) for the fertilization;
• Recognition and mating behavior at estrus of animals;
• The physiology of copulation;
• Artificial Reproductive Techniques (ART);
• The development of zygote to blastocyst;
• Maternal recognition of the conception;
• Regulation of birth;
• Embryo and primary stem cells;
• Cloning and preparation of embryonal stem cells and the application of these techniques for production of organs and organisms;
• Reproductive ageing and degeneration of gonocytes;
• Ethical considerations in ART
• FISH and prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal aberrations;
• Principles of advanced detection techniques (flow cytometry, confocal microscopy) for detection of processes in living gametes and embryo’s (live imaging).

 
Requirements for admission:
The Biomedical Sciences curriculum or equivalent level.
 
Learing outcomes:
 
Knowledge & Insight
At the end of this course, the student is able to:
 

• Describe processes that are involved in the generation of gametes;
• Name the way how fertilization takes place in mammals;
• Explain which ART are used in a modern IVF clinic to enhance the fertilization rate in in/sub-ferile couples;
• Describe the early embryogenesis and nestling of the embryo in the endometrium and how this results in off-spring;
• Explain how and why embryo materials can be used for genetic cloning;
• Work with, and describe analytical methods to study the process of fertilization;
• Describe the evolutionary diversity in reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom with special attention to mammals;
• Explain the evolutionary profit of sexual reproduction.

 
Technical skills
At the end of this course, the student is able to:
 

• Use the techniques FISH, ART, Live imaging in this type of research.

 
Teaching forms and contact time:
The education will be given in the form of oral communications given by docents (30 hrs) interactive communications between students and docents (25 hrs) and practicum (8 half day sessions) Total contact time is approx. 87 hours (45%).
 
Method(s) of testing:

• Presentation of a specific research topic (both oral and with a written thesis) (40%);
• Written examination (60%).

The course is successfully finished when the final grade is > 5.50.
 
Required material:

• MH Johnson & BJ Everitt, Essential Reproduction (6th edition), Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK (2007); ca. € 50;
• Reader and hand-outs will be provided during the course (free of charge).