Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
3 credits
25.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Michiels Thomas;
Language
French
Prerequisites
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Main themes
General structure, replication cycles, and classification of viruses; antiviral agents and vaccination; Reverse genetics and use of viruses as vectors. Selected viruses will be taken as exemples to illustrate the diversity of host-virus interactions and the outcome thereof (latency, cellular transformation, oncogenesis, antigenic variation and escape of immune responses, AIDS...).
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | The lectures present basic concepts on structure and function of animal viruses. It outlines the relationship between the basic replication cycle of the virus and the outcome of the infection for the host. It aims at giving the student the ability to use basic knowledge of viral life cycles as a tool to understand the techniques that are used to detect viruses, develop antiviral compounds. |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
Historics of viruses discovery, characterization and classification.
Structure and replication cycle of animal viruses (DNA viruses, RNA viruses and retroviruses).
Host-virus interaction (cellular transformation, latency, antigenic variation, cancer, oncogenes, AIDS). Vaccination and antiviral agents.
Reverse genetics and use of viruses.
Non-conventional agents.
Teaching methods
classes and discussions
Evaluation methods
written examination
Other information
Prerequisite: basic biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology: nature and function of nucleic acids and proteins; gene expression, protein synthesis, modification and targeting in eucaryotic cells; organization and function of the eucaryotic cell.
Assessment: By written (or oral) exam. The students will be examined on their knowledge of the subject, and on their capacity to use this knowledge to solve problems
Online resources
web site of "initiation to Virology" (in french): www.virologie-uclouvain.be
files with the illustration slides posted on Moodle
files with the illustration slides posted on Moodle
Faculty or entity
SBIM
