(in Polish) Systems Biology 2600-OG-EN-SB

A living organism treated as a structural, energy and communication system. An integrative approach to biochemical processes, allowing to understand cause and effect relationships in biology. The whole material is divided into a fundamental topics, such as (1) structure and function, (2) energy, (3) information, (4) regulation and (5) interrelationships.
1. The structure and function of living organisms: general physiochemical properties of biological structures and self-organization
2. Energy in biology – demand and use: general principles of thermodynamics, biological energy sources, ATP synthesis, photosynthesis, direct and indirect exploitation of energy sources, energy conversion efficiency in biological processes, energy requirements of organisms
3. Information – its role and meaning in organisms: information as a quantitative concept, reliability of information sources, information entropy and mechanisms assisting selection, the role of information in interpreting pathological events
4. Regulation in biological systems: cell and the organism, the principle and mechanism of automatic intracellular regulation, regulatory coupling between cells and organisms – hierarchical properties of regulation, regulatory mechanisms and regulation levels
5. Interrelationships in organized biological systems: the need of mutual relations in biological systems, cooperation and coordination, characteristics of process coordination in individual cells and organisms (rapid and slow effects), specialization of cell interrelationships

Total student workload

Hours conducted with the participation of instructors (50 h): - contact hours provided for in the study plan (lecture and laboratory): 45 h - consultation hours: 5 h The time devoted to self-study of a student (50 h) - earlier preparation for lecture and laboratory: 20 h - revision of the material and examination: 30 h Total student workload: 100 h The number of ECTS credits obtained by the student: 4 ECTS

Learning outcomes - knowledge

After completing the course: W1 - student gives a holistic approach to decipher the complexity of biological systems by understanding the interaction networks; W2 - student knows the basic principles of the organism's activities both as an open, stable and automatically controlled system, as well as a structural and functional system built of arranged elements; W3 - student knows the strategies of a living organism functioning, provides an ability to predict how these systems change over time and under varying conditions; W4 - student is able to relate the acquired knowledge to related scientific disciplines and to work in interdisciplinary teams;

Learning outcomes - skills

After completing the course: U1 - student knows the techniques used to study the characteristics of systems and analyze their components; U2 - student is able to analyze the processes occurring in living organisms, taking into account the cause-and-effect relationships and discuss them based on the literature in the field of systems biology;

Learning outcomes - social competencies

After completing the course: K1 - student develops self-awareness and understands the need for continuous improvement of qualifications; K2 - the student develops a team work and is able to cooperate and work in a group under time pressure, while performing practical exercises, analyzing results and developing conclusion; K3 - student develops ability of critical thinking; K4 - student is able to relate the acquired knowledge to related scientific disciplines and to work in interdisciplinary teams;

Teaching methods

Lecture part - informative lectures with multimedia presentations. Seminar part - didactic methods revealing, presenting and searching: analysis of scientific literature, students carry out tasks individually

Expository teaching methods

- participatory lecture
- informative (conventional) lecture

Exploratory teaching methods

- seminar

Online teaching methods

- exchange and discussion methods

Type of course

elective course

Prerequisites

Students need basic knowledge in the natural sciences, especially biology.

Course coordinators

Adriana Szmidt-Jaworska

Assessment criteria

Students will be assessed on the basis of:
1. Attendance at the classes (80% attendance)
2. Final presentation on a selected topic
Assessment criteria: preparing and presenting a presentation, required threshold for a satisfactory grade - 55-60%, satisfactory plus - 61-70%, good - 71-80%, good plus 81-90%, very good - 91-100%.

Practical placement

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2600-OG-EN-SB in USOSweb