M1 IDIL - Quantitative Biology: Molecular Mechanisms of Living Systems (qBio)

View the full page

The Bootcamp is an intensive course held at the beginning of the first semester, before the start of the major-specific courses. Its purpose is to refresh and/or bring students up to speed on the fundamentals of mathematics, physics, computer science, and biology.

The course will be tailored to the students enrolled, with the goal of ensuring a more consistent start to the program. Students will be immersed in various role-playing activities in small groups. They will need to solve puzzles using their knowledge of biology, physics/mathematics, chemistry, and programming—much like in an escape game that spans several days.

View the full page

View the full page

View the full page

This course aims to provide a broad overview of emerging interdisciplinary quantitative fields in the biosciences, ranging from cutting-edge experimental techniques in microscopy and synthetic biology to systems-based approaches.

In an innovative way, these methodological aspects will be presented in the context of biological and biophysical concepts such as the robustness and optimality of biological systems, gene regulation, and the fundamental principles underlying the organization of membranes and the genome.

The main topics will first be introduced through traditional lectures and then explored through individual or team projects, in which students will learn to apply specific techniques using examples and see how these techniques can be used to investigate specific biological questions. These projects will involve literature reviews, the use of existing code, or the development of new code (depending on the student’s experience) and will account for half of the final grade.

View the full page

In this (practical) course unit, we will first introduce the general concepts of synthetic biology, which will then be applied to student team projects (which will be graded). We will provide the basic knowledge needed to understand all of the fundamental concepts, approaches, and current tools of synthetic biology that will be used throughout the course and during the lab sessions, ranging from gene design and synthesis to the construction of gene libraries, from fluorescence measurements (e.g., plate readers) to flow cytometers.

View the full page

Students will master the fundamental principles and advanced techniques of microscopy, enabling them to push the boundaries of knowledge in biology. The curriculum is progressive and modular, built entirely around hands-on projects: building a simple microscope and using state-of-the-art microscopes to study complex biological processes in bacteria and eukaryotes. Students will be immersed in a stimulating scientific environment. The program will require significant personal investment through experimental projects, analysis of scientific articles, and case studies. Communication skills will also be developed through oral presentations and written reports.

View the full page

A two- to four-month internship at an organization (research laboratory, company, etc.) in France or abroad

View the full page

The EU TER course aims to prepare students to organize and conduct an in-depth literature review that will enable them to approach their internship with an understanding of the state of the art in the field, in particular to produce a relevant and well-thought-out introduction to their experimental work.

View the full page

View the full page

This practical course unit is based on mini-projects that apply techniques for the structural analysis of biomolecules (X-ray crystallography, NMR, cryo-EM, mass spectrometry). In addition, students will learn the biophysical and biochemical techniques used to characterize the molecules under analysis and their interactions.

For each approach, students will learn the basic principles, sample preparation requirements, data acquisition, and data analysis.

View the full page