LMP1209: Neurodegenerative Disease - Mechanisms, Models, and Methods

Who can attend

You must be registered in our graduate program (PhD or MSc) to attend this course.

Non-LMP students enrolled in similar programs must seek approval from the module coordinator to register for the course.

Course description

The course aims to prepare students for research in neurodegenerative diseases and enhance their knowledge about disease mechanisms, models, and methods, including strategies for treatment and diagnosis.  

The course intends to fill knowledge gaps that the course coordinators have repeatedly observed in graduate students who enter the neurodegenerative disease research field. The course will be open to all graduate students within the LMP department and other students as space permits. 

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course participants will be able to: 

• better understand the primary literature on neurodegenerative diseases 

• distinguish between molecular mechanisms that underlie the accumulation of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases, the spread of these diseases within the brain and the cellular toxicity that ultimately leads to cell death and decline of brain function. 

• make informed decisions in their own research on the use of omics discovery approaches. 

• grasp key concepts and terminology pertinent to the fields of neuropathology, regenerative medicine, and clinical trials. 

All students will further have practiced the collection, organization, presentation, and dissemination of scientific information and will appear as co-authors on a published manuscript.    

In preparation of the course, a research theme will be selected by each of the two course coordinators, and publishing houses (preference will be given to open source, non-profit publishers) will be selected for hosting two review articles, which will be assembled by course participants.  

Course coordinators

Dr. Gerold Schmitt-Ulms

g.schmittulms@utoronto.ca

Dr. Joel Watts

joel.watts@utoronto.ca

Timings and location

Thursdays, 10 am - 12 pm

Location: BA B026, Bahen Centre Information Tech 

Evaluation methods

Home Assignment (20% of the final mark)

Each student will research information pertinent to a section of one of two review articles that will be assembled by course participants. They will organize this information as a written skeleton and by producing one illustration (which might become a figure in the review article). Due Thursday, October 24, 2024.

Critiques (15% of the final mark)

Each student will be asked to critique the skeleton and illustration of two other students in writing (2x 5%) by November 1 and in-person during the workshop (2x 2.5%) on November 28. 

Presentations (20% of the final mark)

Students will present (6 min plus 4 min Q&A) the review article section and illustration they produced to other course participants on November 28.  

Final Review Article (40% of the final mark)

Assembly of contribution to final review article within 14 days after workshop.

Editing (5% of the final mark)

Editing of the final sections assembled by the two students critiqued earlier.

Schedule

Drop date for F courses: November 4, 2024

Guest lecturers are expected to give a presentation of approximately 75 minutes and to lead a follow-up Q&A session of 15-30 minutes (if questions arise or a discussion follows naturally).