Course Schedule

Core Course
6 units
MCB 201A is an intensive lab bootcamp designed to rapidly bring students up to speed on critical lab skills and introduce students to the fundamental principles and technologies driving modern biomedical research. After completing this course, students will have a firm understanding of cutting-edge technologies, including CRISPR editing, cell culture and microscopy. Students will learn the fundamentals of experimental design, obtain critical thinking skills for data interpretation, and deliver effective presentations on their results. This course combines in-depth lectures that discuss the most recent scientific advances in biotechnology and regular in-person laboratory sessions to create a strong foundational understanding of modern biomedical research. Students will leave this course not only prepared for their Spring semester internships but also for a research career in biotech or academia.

Core Course
4 units
Students in MCB 201B will build upon their work done in MCB 201A, and they will have more opportunities to practice critical lab skills and internalize the fundamental principles and technologies driving modern biomedical research. This course will train students on RNA interference, RNA-sequencing, and bioinformatics. Students will have continued opportunities to reinforce their understanding of the fundamentals of experimental design, solidify their critical thinking skills, and to build their data analysis skillset. Like MCB 201A, this course combines in-depth lectures that discuss the most recent scientific advances in biotechnology and regular in-person laboratory sessions to create a strong foundational understanding of modern biomedical research. Students will leave this course prepared for their future research careers.

Core Course
2 units
MCB 227 is designed to provide students with necessary professional skills relevant to a career in biomedical research. Students will learn to critically read and analyze peer-reviewed scientific literature, effectively communicate scientific findings in a variety of media, and understand the broader implications of their research. This course will prepare students for their future careers by teaching them how to tailor their resumes, craft a strong cover letter, and practice for job interviews. Guest lectures from academia and industry will come to talk about their organizations, giving students a chance to gain insight into their inner workings.

Core Course
2 units
This course offers an introduction to the field of biotechnology and covers the history of the field, its impact on medicine and society, key methodologies, important therapeutic areas, and the range of career options available in the biopharmaceutical industry. Students will hear from lecturers with expertise ranging from molecular biology to clinical trial design and interpretation. Several case studies of historically impactful scientists, entrepreneurs, and biotherapeutic companies will be presented. Students will learn the key steps in the process of discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapeutics and the various careers available in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Elective Course
4 units
Master's level course on Macromolecular Synthesis and Cellular Function. Molecular biology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and their viruses. Mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, translation. Structure of genes and chromosomes. Regulation of gene expression. Biochemical processes and principles in membrane structure and function, intracellular trafficking and subcellular compartmentation, cytoskeletal architecture, nucleocytoplasmic transport, signal transduction mechanisms, and cell cycle control.

Elective Course
4 units
The course is designed for students interested in learning about the molecular and cell biology of cancer and how this knowledge is being applied to the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Topics covered include tumor pathology and epidemiology; tumor viruses and oncogenes; intracellular signaling; tumor suppressors; multi-step carcinogenesis and tumor progression; genetic instability in cancer; tumor-host interactions; invasion and metastasis; tumor immunology; cancer therapy.

Elective Course
4 units
Master's level course on General Genetics. An in depth introduction to genes, their sexual and asexual transmission in individuals and populations, and gene regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Gene manipulation by recombination, molecular cloning and genome editing is presented in contexts ranging from fundamental mechanisms of chromosome biology to applications in development, aging and disease. Human genetic variation and quantitative evaluation are illuminated. Non-Mendelian and epigenetic modes of inheritance of transposable elements, prions and chromatin states are paired with discussions of groundbreaking technology rewriting the rules of how the genome is analyzed, with attention to the ethical considerations ranging from the history of eugenics to modern controversies.

Elective Course
4 units
Master's level course on Molecular Immunology. Fundamentals of immunology with emphasis on biochemical and molecular approaches to study of the immune system and its application in medicine and biotechnology. Topics covered include description of the immune system, antibody and T-cell receptor structure and function, genes of the immunoglobulin superfamily, cells and molecular mediators that regulate the immune response, allergy, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, tissue and organ transplants, and tumor immunology.

Elective Course
4 units
The overarching goal of this course is to inform students how therapeutics are developed and created. After completing this course, students will have a firm understanding on the mechanism of action of several therapies used to fight disease. The course will cover areas such as the discovery and refinement of antibiotics, anti-virals, cancer therapies, CRISPR-based therapies. Furthermore, this course will delve into disease areas not covered in other courses, such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disease. Lastly, this course will implement a “case study” for each topic displaying real world challenges and solutions to treating complex diseases.

Elective Course
4 units
Master's level course on Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. Comprehensive introductory survey of cellular and molecular neuroscience, including cellular neurophysiology, ion channel function, synaptic function and plasticity, sensory transduction, and brain development. Includes introduction to molecular basis of neurological disease. Analysis from the level of molecules to cells to simple circuits.

Core Course
3 units
Adapting to different biotech workflows and data management strategies can make the transition into a biotech company significantly more stressful. This short, intensive course provides an opportunity for students to get practical training on instruments commonly used in biotech workflows for drug discovery. Students will also learn how to prepare and handle samples, track data, and work with centralized databases.

Core Course
5 units
A project-based course where students develop and execute a project idea individually or in small groups under the supervision of their internship mentor and with continued cohort discussion and feedback to help improve their project. Throughout the course, students will develop and demonstrate skills at applying advanced knowledge in therapeutics, technologies, and techniques to solve real-world research problems in biotech. Students will work toward a final presentation in which they will identify and present a technology overview, explanation of unmet need, a central working hypothesis, and a plan to test that hypothesis, execution of the plan, and a final research product. The final presentation of the research project will be at a half-day research symposium where students will present their research in a poster session format.

More information on the capstone project can be found here.

Core Course
4 units
Individual research under the supervision of an internship mentor.

For detailed information on independent research, please refer to the Internship Program and Capstone Project pages.