Methods for the study of cells and tissues; sample histological processing and staining; observation of cells and tissues at light microscopy; morphometric analysis.
Experimental protocols commonly used in morphological laboratories. Scientific papers containing morphological methodology.
Learning Objectives
Know to read a scientific paper. Basic knowledge on the procedures followed in building a research project.
Be able to handle, in a relative autonomy, one or more morphological procedures, as processing and staining histological samples, recognizing tissues/biological structures at light/fluorescent microscopy applying morphometric tools to scientific research
Prerequisites
Adequate background on the human cell and tissue morphology.
Teaching Methods
Seminar to present the research project (s) currently in use in the laboratory. Seminar to present scientific papers related to the project published in international journals.
Laboratory practical activity to learn the main morphological techniques.
Type of Assessment
Oral presentation and discussion of one o more scientific publication containing contents and methods related to the scientific project followed in the laboratory.
The job will be done in small groups (2-3 students).
Course program
Seminars. They will be held during the first part of the course and provide:
- One seminar on how to build a research project i: from the state of the art to the expected results and their possible meaning .
- One seminar on how to build a scientific paper .
- At these aims one or more research projects existent in the laboratory as well as one or more scientific publications related in content to those projects will be presented.
Laboratory practice activity will be held during the second part of the course and provides:
- frequency of the research lab for an average period of one week during which the student will work together with a tutor using means and tools of the laboratory in order to learn the most common morphological techniques such as those histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical.
- use of light and fluorescence microscopes and use of the most common softwares for morphometric measurements.