Scientific Literacy in Infectious Diseases
Less than 70 years ago, infectious diseases were the number one killer even in countries with the highest standards of living, even in Switzerland. Then came the era of antibiotics, the miracle of modern medicine…
But what some thought may be a winning phase of the war against harmful microorganisms turns out to have been just a battle won, albeit a significant one. On a global scale, the war is raging and potentially devastating pathogenic microorganisms are on the doorstep.
This course will explore all the major classes of diseases: bacterial (from tuberculosis to the new ND-1 superbugs), viral (HIV, Influenza, hepatitis, cancer-causing viruses), fungal (pneumonia) and protozoan (malaria). In each case the principal mechanisms of the disease, current treatments and future prospects will be analyzed from the point of view of a molecular biologist.
Day 1 is the Molecular Biology Toolbox. It is devoted to road-mapping the entire field of molecular biology as it pertains to pathogenic microorganisms and to understanding how biologists think about infectious diseases. Day 2 is the Molecular Infectiology Toolbox. It is spent buiding a compact, unified view of archetypal infectious diseases.. We reveal all the common molecular processes and unifying principles underlying viral, retroviral, bacterial, fungal and protozoan infections. By the end of the day, participants become literate in major infectious diseases.
SBA members: CHF 1100.-
All others: CHF 1250.-
Student discounts available
This fees include:
• Pre-course online activities
• Two day seminar
• Biotechnology for Beginners, R. Renneberg
• Interactive course CD
• Online educational extensions
• Lunch and coffee breaks
- - you will fill the gap between a state of “partial or non-existent understanding” of key concepts in modern biology to that of literacy regardless of your background (sciences, engineering or humanities).
- - you will acquire a conceptual "toolbox" that will help you understand the molecular principles of any infectious disease and the different strategies in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and eradication.
- -you will be able to jump-start further self-directed learning at any point in time in the future