International Master in Life Sciences

The International Master in Life Sciences includes the following teaching units, totaling 60 ECTS (European credits) per year. Please note that while we make every effort to provide all the optional courses listed below, their availability is subject to schedule compatibility and student enrollment.

The detailed contents of teaching units can be found here:

M1 SCIENCES DU VIVANT

• BIO2701M Trends in biomedical research   (6 ECTS): This course provides students with a unique access and first-hand encounter with some of the world’s most prominent researchers in the biomedical field. It is divided into independent blocks (of about 6 hours), each dedicated to one of these researchers that will include lectures, tutorial work on articles, a conference and an interview of the speaker, organized and animated by the students. Topic examples: neural crest development, heart remodeling, pediatric cancer, cell mechanics, pattern formation, cell migration…
  

• BIO2702M Model organisms practicum  (12 ECTS): A 100+ hour-long practicum that will introduce students to a vast array of animal models (C elegans, Drosophila, Zebrafish, chicken and mouse) and their use in leading-edge biomedical research. The goal of the practicum is to expose students to laboratory-like situation, to encourage their creativity, while promoting their scientific rigor. Experiments encompass functional approaches in vivo, and analyses of results, notably using advanced imaging techniques. At the end of the practicum, a presentation of the results is given in a poster format presented to a large audience. A written report will also be asked.

• 2 optional units, to choose from:
  • BIO2638M Advanced bio-imaging (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
    
  • BIO2703M Microfluidics (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
    
  • IPH2297M Physics of Life (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • IPH2299M Quantitatives approaches in biology (3 ECTS) - recommended for M1 students with a background in physics, or for all M2 students
    
  • IPH2143M Tissue and cell engineering (3 ECTS) - recommended for M1 students with a background in physics, or for all M2 students
    

• 2 elective units, to choose from:
  • BIO2372M Molecular genetics of neuromuscular disorders (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • BIO2404M Molecular mechanisms of cell signalling (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • BIO2405M Aging and cell death (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • BIO2409M Mitochondria in physiopathology (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • BIO2410M Emerging concepts in functional genomics (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • BIO2639M Shaping the cell: from architecture to function (3 ECTS) - also available in M2
  • or any other 3-ECTS unit validated by the course organizers, with compatible schedule
    

• BIO2707M Scientific communications (6 ECTS): This TU comprises lectures on the general principles that underlie excellency in oral presentation, written communications (papers/grant writing) and critical reading of scientific literature (review of manuscripts). Practical applications of those principles constitute the bulk of the unit. This course puts particular emphasis on small working groups, and is highly connected to assigments requested in other courses.

• BIO2706M Cellular decisions (6 ECTS): This unit is the place where local/national researchers present the topic of their research in an accessible format (a presentation of their work over a decade). Students present a research paper on the topic (from the speaker’s group or not). Presentation and following discussions are marked. Topic examples: neuromuscular diseases, synapse development, intestinal microbiota, synaptopathies, viral pathogenecity, human embryo developement, phenotype evolution…
  

• BIO2704M Internships 1 (6 ECTS): This unit consists of a 7 week-long internship in a local/national laboratory. A final written report is requested after completion of the work.

• BIO2705M Internships 2 (12 ECTS):  This unit consists of a 7-12 week-long internship in a local/national or international laboratory. A final written report is requested after completion of the work.
  

M2 FRONTIERS IN BIOLOGY

• BIO2669M Trends in regenerative medicine (3 ECTS): Recent advances in the field of Regenerative Medicine (for example: heart, muscle, brain) will be discussed. This unit involves the participation of external speakers.
  

• BIO2633M Biostatistiques / Bioinformatique (3 ECTS): Statistics: Formulation of biological questions as statistical hypotheses, Identification of variables, tests, Establishment of experimental plans according to the type of statistical analysis. Bioinformatics: Extraction of information from biological databases, Research, annotations, and alignments of biological sequences, simple tools for transcriptome analysis and differential analysis.

• BIO2708M Review writing for beginners (6 ECTS): At the end of this unit, students will have written a review (about 20 pages) on a specific topic (typically that of the internship in S4). Best reviews will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. 

• BIO2709M Technical workshops (9 ECTS):  This course comprises 3 workshops of 25 hours each, selected from a list covering specialized skills highly valued in research laboratories, such as molecular aspects of virology, modern molecular biology, transcriptomic data analysis, electron microscopy, image analysis using artificial intelligence....

• 3 elective units, to choose from:
  • BIO2638M Advanced bio-imaging (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2703M Microfluidics (3 ECTS)
  • IPH2297M Physics of Life (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2372M Molecular genetics of neuromuscular disorders (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2404M Molecular mechanisms of cell signalling (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2405M Aging and cell death (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2409M Mitochondria in physiopathology (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2410M Emerging concepts in functional genomics (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2639M Shaping the cell: from architecture to function (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2665M Image processing (3 ECTS)
  • IPH2299M Approches quantitatives en biologie (3 ECTS)
  • IPH2143M Tissue and cell engineering (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2408M Systems biology (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2261M Immunology and cancer (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2360M Neuro-immunology : autoimmunity, infection and inflammation (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2412M Neuro-immunology: immune privilege and biotherapies (3 ECTS)
  • BIO2636M Epigenetics and diseases (3 ECTS)

  • or any other 3-ECTS unit validated by the course organizers, with compatible schedule

• BIO2710M Internship 3 (30 ECTS): This unit will consist of a 6 month-long internship in a local/national or international (preferably partners) laboratory. Students submit a final written report and give an oral presentation of their work.