L3 - Biotechnology-Teaching Professions

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

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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.

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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.

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This course unit aims to deepen students' knowledge of microbiology for those who wish to pursue further studies in this discipline.

She will discuss molecular genetics applied to prokaryotes (mobile genetic elements and resistance, CRISPR, 2-component system, quorum sensing, horizontal transfers, etc.) and the specificities of bacterial metabolism.

Bacteria with a particular morphology will be presented.  

In virology, the pathophysiology of viral infections, as well as the prevention and control of viral diseases, will be presented. Mechanisms of immune evasion will be detailed. Mechanisms of viral evolution will be described and linked to viral emergence.

The parasitic lifestyle of certain eukaryotic microorganisms will be illustrated by describing their obligatory intracellular development and the changes in the host cell induced by these parasites.

Finally, the EU will address the concept of microbiota and present the latest data on the nature of human microbiota and its role in health.

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This course unit allows students to deepen their knowledge of metabolism. It provides a comprehensive overview of human metabolism, emphasizing the links between different metabolic pathways. It also shows how different tissues communicate to maintain overall energy homeostasis. Disruptions in this metabolism that cause certain diseases will be presented.

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This is an introductory course to teaching biotechnology, preparing students for their observation internship in a technical high school in semester 6. This course covers concepts that will be developed further for students in the MEEF (Teaching, Education, and Training Professions) Biotechnology Master's program preparing for the CAPET Biotechnology with a specialization in Biochemistry and Biological Engineering. This course, combined with the high school internship in semester 6, also helps students choose their career path.

During lectures/tutorials, several questions concerning the teaching and learning of science and biotechnology are addressed:

- What are the principles, tools, and teaching methods used in the technology track?

- How to design teaching in STL-Biotechnology and STS?

- How are the programs and standards structured?

- What are the terms and conditions for certification assessment in the final cycle and in STS?

- How does a general and technological high school work?

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Bacteriology:

Through various examples, students will gain a better understanding of the concept of pathogenicity in relation to bacterial virulence. The means and mechanisms used to manipulate the body's cells at the mucosal level in order to penetrate the internal environment, i.e., invasive power, will be discussed, as well as the perception of environmental signals and the integration of these signals in order to coordinate the response of prokaryotes so that they adopt group behavior. The description of a few examples of toxins and modulins related to colonization and/or invasion will provide a better understanding of the differences in strategies between prokaryotic pathogens. Finally, the concept of microbiota and its influence on the functioning of the organism, as well as its involvement in the development of certain pathologies, will be discussed.

Immunology:

The Immunology section covers the basics of how the immune system works during infection. From the initiation and progression of the inflammatory response when non-self signals are recognized by the innate immune system (PRR-PAMP) to the mechanisms of cell activation and the cellular responses generated, we can appreciate the diversity of possibilities offered by the various players in immunity. In addition, the sequence of events leading to the orientation of the immune response and the acquisition of lasting protection during the adaptive phase will provide a better understanding of the vaccine strategy. Finally, intestinal mucosal immunity will be discussed in the context of the relationship between the host and the microbiota.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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From the same genome, the different cells that make up a multicellular organism will acquire different cellular destinies in order to acquire distinct cellular functions. In addition to the genome, epigenetic regulations governing the control of genome expression will be crucial in establishing phenotypes. The objective of this course is to teach the concepts and methodologies used to study the transmission of hereditary information via epigenetic mechanisms.

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Observation internship in high school in STL-Biotechnology and/or STS in applied biology under the supervision of a teacher tutor in Biochemistry and Biological Engineering. This course unit, which follows on from the course unit on Pedagogy and Didactics of Biotechnology, provides an initial insight into the realities of the teaching profession. This course unit covers concepts that will be developed further for students in the Master's program in Teaching, Education, and Training (MEEF) in Biotechnology, who are preparing for the CAPET (Certificate of Aptitude for Teaching) in Biotechnology with a specialization in Biochemistry and Biological Engineering. This course unit, combined with that of semester 5, also helps students with their career orientation.
The information gathered during the internship and its processing will be the subject of a written report and an oral defense at the end of the semester.

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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).

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