L3 - Biotechnology-Traceability-Bioresources

This course offers an in-depth study of the structural biochemistry of biomolecules, particularly proteins and nucleic acids.

The basic concepts and nomenclature used for analyzing 3D protein structures are briefly reviewed (Ramachandran diagram, structural motifs and domains, folding, family, superfamily, etc.). These concepts are supplemented by a study of the stability and dynamics of biomolecules.

The structural classification of proteins is detailed according to the four main types of folding. Structure-function relationships are illustrated using examples of proteins. The specific characteristics of membrane protein structures (integral proteins, membrane-bound proteins) are discussed.

The main tools for modeling and predicting secondary and tertiary structures are presented.

The different structures and functions of nucleic acids are studied. Protein-nucleic acid complexes are described from a structural point of view (main recognition motifs, etc.) and the concepts of recognition specificity are detailed.

This teaching is illustrated in tutorials. These tutorials consist of familiarizing students with the main databases used in structural biology, as well as with the PyMol software for analyzing 3D structures.

See the full page

The EU aims to help students understand the threefold relationship between safety, legislation, and detection tools. Human activity meets the needs of population growth, well-being, and health, and requires the monitoring of industrial practices. Rules on pollutant limits and other factors involve acceptable limits that must be quantifiable.

The EU addresses European food safety laws that involve pragmatic approaches to industry compliance: the regulatory system. Biology students who will be working in various sectors, from agronomy to health, must have a basic understanding of quality management.

See the full page

This EU is a logical continuation of the S4 EU (Fundamentals of Physiology and Immunology) and aims to deepen knowledge of fundamental, applied, and clinical immunology. We will also address "unconventional" concepts in immunology and develop innovative immunotherapy strategies. This course unit will cover all topics related to modern immunology and will be strongly oriented towards the clinical aspects of this discipline.

 Keywords

Fundamental immunology, Anti-infectious immunity, Immunotherapy, Vaccination, Autoimmunity, Immune deficiencies, Anti-cancer immunity, Non-conventional immunity

See the full page

See the full page

In this EU, students work in groups to conduct bibliographic research on a selection of medicinal plants during supervised tutorials in order to identify the plant's biomolecules that may have biological or even pharmacological properties. Using documents provided to them, each group identifies, proposes, and implements in practical work an extraction protocol and a simple biological activity test protocol to test the biostatic, antibiotic, or antioxidant activity of the targeted molecules. The literature review process and the results obtained in practical work, along with their analysis and interpretation, will be discussed during a poster presentation session, which will be assessed.

See the full page

Molecular biology is not only a fascinating subject in its own right, but it also provides other biological disciplines (cell biology, genetics, physiology, etc.) with fantastic tools for modifying and quantifying genes and their products.

The EU is deepening its understanding of the mechanisms involved in the organization, maintenance, replication, and expression (transcription, post-transcriptional modifications, translation) of eukaryotic genomes.

In particular, we will explore the properties of information-carrying macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) and how interactions between them explain the functioning of eukaryotic cells and their adaptation to the environment and the development of organisms.

At the same time, the main techniques used to monitor or modify gene expression, or to study the mechanisms of this expression, will be presented in lectures and explored in greater depth in tutorials through the analysis of results.

Thus, the tutorials address these topics in the form of (1) exercises that allow students to test their understanding of the knowledge described above, and (2) experiments taken from scientific articles for analysis. In this way, the fundamentals of scientific reasoning and critical analysis of results will be acquired and/or further developed.

See the full page

This course introduces the basic concepts of nanobiotechnology dedicated to diagnosis and detection.

1- Introduction to biosensors and embedded systems

The different types of electrochemical sensors (conductivity, potentiometry, and amperometry): - Biosensors ranging from Clark electrodes to amperometric glucometers. - Potentiostats: simple standardized measurement systems

- Transistors: semiconductors

- nanotubes or carbon, silicon, graphene, etc. wires

- Impedance measurement

2- Introduction to biomimicry

- Self-assembly of spherical structures; viruses, ferritin, dendrimers

- Self-assembly of monolayers

3- Functional organic chemistry

            - Review of organic chemistry from L1

            - Biomolecules (functions involved, carbonylated, amines, alcohols, thiols)

            - Structures

            - Basic concept of functionalization

            - Oxidation-reduction reaction

See the full page

This teaching unit covers the different categories of biotechnology according to their field of application:

• Plant biotechnology concerns the agri-food industry and encompasses a range of technologies that use plants and plant cells to produce and transform food products, biomaterials, and energy, as well as recombinant proteins for therapeutic purposes.

• Animal biotechnology covers the fields of health, medicine, diagnostics, tissue engineering, and the development of genetic or molecular processes for therapeutic purposes.
• Microbial biotechnology involves the use of microorganisms (viruses or bacteria) and their cultivation in the agri-food/pharmaceutical industry, as well as their role in environmental protection.

The teaching offered to students in the Bachelor's Degree in Life Sciences enables them to discover or deepen their theoretical knowledge of different biotechnologies and to master the associated tools/applications.

See the full page

The main goal of this module will be to provide a better understanding of the major concepts of modern biology through the history of their development. In other words, to analyze the intellectual journey and the experimental and theoretical approaches that led to their establishment. For example, we will analyze how the search for a "natural" classification led Jean-Baptiste Monet de Lamarck and Charles Darwin to lay the foundations of evolutionary biology, and how how Etienne Geoffroy Saint Hilaire's concept of "unity of plan of organization" gave rise to evolutionary paleontology, developmental biology, and evolution/development (Evo/Devo).

In the context of bioethical issues, we will address problems such as the distortion of a concept (from craniology to eugenics) and the cases of Georges Cuvier and Trophim Lysenko, where religious or political ideology interfered with science.

Finally, biological philosophy will lead us to discuss the value of models in biology and the "end of genetics" (from Lamarck to epigenetics via epigenesis).

The entire module will consist of lectures, during which several seminal texts in modern biology will also be analyzed and discussed.

See the full page

The molecular biology practical aims to enable students to work independently with molecular biology protocols and introduce them to hypothesis-driven research. Students will have six days to respond to a biological problem that will be presented to them. This will allow them to put some of the techniques covered in their theoretical classes into practice in a laboratory setting, thereby gaining a better understanding of them.

See the full page

As part of this course, students will learn experimental principles based on the manipulation of nucleic acids. Lectures will focus on two main areas:

1. Implementation of molecular tools (cloning, nucleic acid analysis, vectorology) ii. Their applications (recombinant protein expression, genomic banking, transgenesis, CRISPR/CAS9 system, etc.) and reflection on the concept of ethics in biology.

The tutorials will consist of:

- Analysis of articles presenting issues to be resolved using the knowledge acquired in the course. The topics chosen will, as far as possible, refer to parallel L3 teaching units. These articles will be presented by students in the form of oral presentations by groups of 3 to 4 students to the whole class.

- Sessions reserved for the use of basic bioinformatics tools in the computer lab.

See the full page

The aim of the course is to review molecular identification techniques, with a focus on biomarkers, advances in the latest generations of biomarkers and selective membranes, and new instrumentation.

Molecular diagnostic techniques / mass approaches.

Biosynthesis of Ag receptors in B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes 

Antigen-antibody reactions 

Immunological techniques 

FACS principle

Proteomics, 2D, LC-MS, MS-MS. Degradome...

See the full page

The course provides an in-depth look at biosensor design. It begins by introducing the general concepts of graft chemistry for the functionalization of supports. Finally, an introduction to microfluidics will lead students to design the instrumentation. This course will essentially be a practical application with real bibliographic research that will allow students to work on their own instrument development project.

See the full page

The terms and conditions of this course unit are specifically tailored to the different L3 programs. However, the objectives are the same: to give students an overview of the professional world related to life sciences research.

Students will be offered a short internship in a laboratory/company or a supervised project with a tutor working in a laboratory or company associated with biology.

See the full page

The EU aims to acquire knowledge of fundamental and applied virology, with a focus on an integrative approach to the discipline. It will present the specificities of host-virus interactions and the pathophysiology of viral infections in different types of hosts (vertebrates/insects/plants). It will address aspects of viral ecology, emergence, and associated risks to human and animal health. Finally, the EU will present the research methods used, virological detection and diagnostic tools, and applications of viruses in biotechnology.

The EU will be taught in the form of lectures, tutorials (analysis of current scientific articles and oral presentations) and practical work illustrating the lectures and tutorials (virus amplification and purification and quantification using reference techniques).

See the full page