Microbiology

Core Courses

The Master's Program in Microbiology offers multidisciplinary training, combining fundamental knowledge with practical applications to meet the challenges of modern microbiology. The program is structured around four main axes:

1. Core Modules (UEF)

Medical Microbiology: The study of pathogens, mechanisms of infection, and diagnosis.

Bacterial Physiology and Genetics: Metabolism, Adaptation, and Genetic Regulation.

Molecular Virology: Virus structure, replication, and therapeutic strategies.

Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology: The role of microorganisms in ecosystems and bioremediation.

2. Curricular Modules (UEM)

Advanced Techniques: Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics.

Microbial Biotechnology: The use of bioreactors and industrial applications.

Quality Control: Sterilization methods and biochemical analyses.

3. Discovery Modules (UED)

Digital Microbial Ecology: Modeling microbial communities.

Antimicrobial Agents: The study of antibiotics and alternative solutions.

Scientific English: Scientific writing and scientific communication skills.

4. Interdisciplinary Units (UET)

Scientific Communication: Article Writing and Oral Presentations

Legislation and Ethics: Health Regulations and Intellectual Property

Advanced Topics

Master's program in microbiology, tailored to provide in-depth knowledge and specialization in cutting-edge fields of microbiology. These topics are designed for students aiming to develop expertise in research, industry, or applied microbiology.

 

1. Advanced Microbial Physiology and Metabolism

• Study of complex microbial metabolic pathways.
• Advanced topics in metabolic engineering for biofuel production.
• Microbial adaptations to extreme environments (extremophiles).
• Role of secondary metabolites in microbial interactions and applications.

2. Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics

• Comparative genomics of microorganisms.
• Functional genomics and transcriptomics (RNA-seq).
• Metagenomics for studying microbial communities in various environments.
• CRISPR-Cas systems and genome editing in microorganisms.
• Bioinformatic tools for analyzing microbial genome data.

3. Environmental Microbiology and Bioremediation

• Microbial roles in biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles).
• Microbial degradation of pollutants (bioremediation).
• Microbial ecology of extreme environments (e.g., deep-sea vents, polar regions).
• Applications of microbial consortia in wastewater treatment.
• Microbial interactions in soil ecosystems and plant microbiomes.

4. Clinical and Medical Microbiology

• Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and development of new antibiotics.
• Host-pathogen interactions and immune evasion strategies.
• Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
• Microbiome and its role in human health and diseases.
• Diagnostics and therapeutic applications of microbiology (e.g., phage therapy).

5. Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology

• Microbial production of enzymes, biofuels, and bioplastics.
• Fermentation technology and optimization strategies.
• Synthetic biology applications in microorganisms for industrial purposes.
• Bioprocess engineering and scale-up of microbial production.
• Microbial biosensors for industrial and environmental monitoring.

6. Virology and Viral Applications

• Advanced molecular virology: Viral replication and host interaction at the molecular level.
• Emerging viral pathogens and zoonotic diseases.
• Development of vaccines and antiviral therapies.
• Applications of viruses in gene therapy and nanotechnology.
• Evolutionary virology: Virus-host co-evolution and viral diversity.

7. Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis

• Advanced immunological techniques to study microbial infections.
• Molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity and virulence factors.
• Development of vaccines using recombinant DNA technology.
• Role of microbiota in immune system function and autoimmune diseases.
• Immunotherapies leveraging microbial components.

9. Microbial Ecology and Evolution

• Microbial evolution under selective pressures (e.g., antibiotics, environmental stress).
• Co-evolution of microbial communities in ecosystems.
• Horizontal gene transfer and its impact on microbial evolution.
• Evolutionary dynamics of microbial symbiosis and competition.
• Study of ancient microbial lineages through paleomicrobiology.

10. Advanced molecular Techniques for microbial diversity

11. Microbial Biofilms and Quorum Sensing

13. Antimicrobial Resistance and Drug Discovery

15. Advanced Topics in Food Microbiology

• Microbial fermentation in food production (e.g., probiotics, cheese, wine).
• Pathogenic microbes in food and foodborne diseases.
• Advanced food safety techniques (e.g., rapid microbial detection).
• Microbial spoilage and shelf-life extension strategies.
• Applications of microbiology in functional food development

16. Micobial Risk Assessment and Biosafety

• Risk assessment of genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs).
• Biosafety in handling pathogenic microorganisms.
• Regulatory frameworks for microbiology research and applications.
• Ethical concerns in microbiology (e.g., dual-use research of concern).
• Biosurveillance and microbial forensics.