Training

In order to enable Life Scientists to tackle complex biological problems from a systems perspective, training is essential. An analysis of the current landscape of training in systems biology in the Czech republic indicates that training in this field is not as mature or as prevalent as in the underpinning disciplines such as bioinformatics and genomics.
In the European area, training in systems biology tends to be focused in countries where there has been significant strategic investment in the research base in systems biology.
C4SYS is in a unique position to develop and maintain access to sustainable, state-of-the-art training in systems biology and can report already first success stories. C4SYS, in accordance with the ISBE training strategy, focuses on the development and dissemination of best practices in systems biology training and education at all levels. All members of the C4SYS consortium have been active in student training for many years, implemented systems biology into various curricula and have organized and provided in the past 5 years activities, courses and study programs are listed below.

The Nove Hrady campus serve as a technological and methodological development platform, and as a training and educational site of the national infrastructure.

zamek ze zadu      zamek ze predu
All members of the C4SYS consortium have been active in student training for many years, implemented systems biology into various curricula and have organized and provided in the past 5 years activities, courses and study program:

 

Study programs

  • Doctoral study program P1515 Molecular and Cell Biology (4 years full-time study, Ph.D.), Department of Molecular Biology and Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia
  • Bachelor’s degree program FI MU Applied informatics, branch Bioinformatics B1802R026 (3 years includes 3 compulsory courses from the field of systems biology – PB050, PA052, IV114)
  • Master’s degree program FI MU Bioinformatics N1802T026, specialization Systems Biology (2 years, includes 2 compulsory courses on systems biology (PA054,PB051) and optional 3 specialized SB courses (PA183, PV225, IV120))
  • Advanced procedure (“rigorózní”) FI MU study direction Bioinformatics R1802T026, offered courses coincide with Master’s degree program
  • Bachelor’s degree program PrF MU Molecular Biology and Genetics, Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology, Physiology of Animals – Bi9060 and Bi9061
  • Master’s degree program PrF MU General Biology specialization Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology – Bi7430, Bi9410, Bi9411 and Bi7410Summer School of Protein Engineering – Bi9280
  • Doctoral study program P1701 Physics(3 years, full-time and part-time study, Ph.D.), Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia,
  • Doctoral study program P1513 Biophysics (4 years, full-time and part-time study, Ph.D.), Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia,
  • Master’s degree program N1513 Biophysics (2 years, full-time study, a follow-up to the undergraduate level), Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia
  • Bachelor’s degree program B2612 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (3 years, full-time and part-time study), Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia,
  • Bachelor’s degree program B1406 Biochemistry/Biological Chemistry (3 years, full-time study) – International study program JKU / JU, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia
  • Master’s degree program N1406 Biochemistry/Biological Chemistry (2.5 years, full-time study) – International study program JKU / JU, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia
  • Bachelor’s degree program B1802 Applied Informatics/Bioinformatics (3 years, full-time study) – International study program JKU / JU, Institute of Applied Informatics, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia
  • MSc and PhD programs in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Environmental Studies and Botany, ad hoc teaching at University of Helsinki, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (PhD courses, P. Baldrian, Charles University, Faculty of Science)

Summer schools, courses and activities

The faculty of informatics MU organizes in collaboration with CzechGlobe summer schools in systems biology (SBSS 2013, SBSS 2014) and runs Systems Biology Colloquium (http://sybila.fi.muni.cz/cz/predmety/ colloquium) where systems biology experts world-wide present their research to students and local researchers. FI MU also organizes a number of courses focused on Systems

Biology, Synthetic Biology, Bioinformatics, Protein Engineering and Molecular Biotechnology and the Summer School of Protein Engineering.

INSB organizes Visegrad Summer school in molecular biology and systems biology in 2013 and 2014. More details can be found at http://auc.cz/summerschool2014/. Nove Hrady campus will serve as a technological and methodological development platform, and as a training and educational site of the national infrastructure. The Institute is also involved in the organization of highly recognized Febs Advanced Courses. Recently provided a successful course with training in the principles of ligand-binding theory, which offered participants a chance to analyze their own macromolecular interaction systems using the contemporary advanced methods (SPR, ITC, UV-Vis, thermophoresis, fluorescence spectroscopies, gel filtration, data fitting and analysis), guided by lecturers and tutors who are expert in the design, execution, and analysis of these experiments. Additionally, the institute is Czech co-organizer of the Visegrad conference series on Structural Systems Biology, which is an annual conference on systems biology in the Central European region, co-organized by INSB, Comenius University, Szeged University and the Jagellonian University in Cracow. This years conference had a special section devoted to C4SYS and the impact of ISBE on central European systems biology (http://nh.cas.cz/vsssb14/).
spolecna01        Gabriela Fiser

Additional student training at the Academy of Sciences:

MBU – Institute of Microbiology

Institute of Microbiology has been involved in training of PhD students and have fruitful collaboration with Faculties of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, and 1st Medical faculty of The Charles University, Prague, University of Chemical Technology, Prague, and West Bohemian University in Plzen.

Additionally, the Baldrian group participates in a FP7 – Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (two international students plus others coming from the network members) and organizes conferences in the field: Ecology of Soil Microorganisms (2011 Prague, 400 participants worldwide), 2013 Prague COST workshop „Bioinformatics meets microbial ecology“.

Czechglobe-Global Change Research Center
As a part of Open CzechGlobe Disputation sessions GCRC organizes lectures where international systems biology leading experts (e.g. http://www.czechglobe.cz/wp-content/uploads/open-disputation-15-th-January-2014.pdf, http://www.czechglobe.cz/wp-content/uploads/Open-disputation-7-th-July-2014.pdf) present their research to students and local researchers. GCRC organized international consortium CyanoNetwork multidisciplinary workshop and many other mini workshops (recently invited are Stefanie Hertel, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Germany – modeling of circadian clocks and Dr. Robert Burnap, Oklahoma State University, USA – modeling of carbon concentrating mechanism).