production
Skip to Content

DB3504: EMBRYO TO ORGANS (2023-2024)

Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 10:43


Course Overview

  • This course takes us back to the very beginning of embryonic development and explores the fascinating process of how the fertilised egg develops into the complex multicellular embryo and also studies the business end of embryogenesis – turning a bundle of cells into a functioning baby;
  • This includes looking at germ layer formation, the cellular processes driving morphogenesis as well as the tools and methods are used to study early embryos;
  • The course also addresses development of the major organ systems – where do the lungs, the pancreas, the liver, the blood, the heart etc. come from?  How does the nervous system develop?;
  • We show that the processes are not ‘magic’. There are accessible principles, systems and molecules that enable us to begin to understand how tissue development happens;
  • The course will investigate the roles of stem cells in embryology, adult life and cancer.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term Second Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor Jon M. Collinson
  • Dr Daniel Berg

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course covers the following topics.
Fertilisation: the making of a new organism, Drosophila: The Making of a Fly (Nusslein-Volhard/Wieschaus screen and beyond), Breaking the Symmetry: Axis Formation in Amphibians and other Vertebrates, Morphogenetic Movements and Cell Migration.

Vertebrate organogenesis: The induction in the Ectoderm of Neural tissue, Neural Crest tissue and Epidermis, The Vertebrate Neural Crest, Skin Development, Muscle Development, Bone Development, Kidney Development, The Development of the Heart, Blood vessels and Blood, Development of the Digestive Tract and its Derivatives, Lung Development. Invertebrate Organogenesis: Imaginal Discs in Drosophila.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Class Test - Multiple Choice Questions

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks 29 Feedback Weeks 31

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

This MCQ test which will be on MyAberdeen and consist of questions regarding the Course material to date, the questions will be randomised for each student, and marked by MyAberdeen and feedback returned to students via MyAberdeen. This will count towards final mark and provide staff with opportunity to check engagement and understanding.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstand the biological strategies used by fertilised eggs in diverse organisms to create initial asymmetry in the embryo & to initiate organisation of embryonic body plan & basis for organogenesis
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
ProceduralApplyIllustrate the molecular mechanisms mediating early embryonic development and organogenesis.
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research

Exam

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 50
Assessment Weeks 39 Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

The Written Exam will count for 50% of the final course mark. The Exam paper will consist of two sections and students answer 2 questions from each section.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstand the biological strategies used by fertilised eggs in diverse organisms to create initial asymmetry in the embryo & to initiate organisation of embryonic body plan & basis for organogenesis
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
ProceduralApplyIllustrate the molecular mechanisms mediating early embryonic development and organogenesis.
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research

Lab Report: Individual

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 15
Assessment Weeks 34 Feedback Weeks 38

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

This Practical Workshop can be run in a lab or online and will be based around understanding how to identify cells undergoing cell death/cell proliferation and how they shape embryogenesis and organogenesis. It will count for 15% of the total mark for the course. Word count will be 3000 words. Feedback will be supplied on the submitted course work.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 15
Assessment Weeks 30 Feedback Weeks 33

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

This essay will be based on a tutorial describing an aspect of embryogenesis. It will count for 15% of the total mark for the course. Word count will be 3000 words. Feedback will be supplied on the submitted essay.

Word Count 3000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstand the biological strategies used by fertilised eggs in diverse organisms to create initial asymmetry in the embryo & to initiate organisation of embryonic body plan & basis for organogenesis
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
ProceduralApplyIllustrate the molecular mechanisms mediating early embryonic development and organogenesis.
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research

Class Test - Multiple Choice Questions

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks 33 Feedback Weeks 35

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

This MCQ test which will be on MyAberdeen and consist of questions regarding the Course material to date, the questions will be randomised for each student, and marked by MyAberdeen and feedback returned to students via MyAberdeen. This will count towards final mark and provide staff with opportunity to check engagement and understanding.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstand the biological strategies used by fertilised eggs in diverse organisms to create initial asymmetry in the embryo & to initiate organisation of embryonic body plan & basis for organogenesis
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
ProceduralApplyIllustrate the molecular mechanisms mediating early embryonic development and organogenesis.
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Resubmission of failed elements

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ReflectionApplyConvey an appreciation of the tools and approaches used to study embryogenesis, including molecular mechanisms and their relevance for developmental biology, regeneration, cancer & stem cell research
ReflectionAnalyseUnderstand how cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell adhesion & cell motility contribute to shaping of the embryo during cleavage stages, gastrulation, cell migration and organ formation
ConceptualUnderstandUnderstand the biological strategies used by fertilised eggs in diverse organisms to create initial asymmetry in the embryo & to initiate organisation of embryonic body plan & basis for organogenesis
ProceduralApplyIllustrate the molecular mechanisms mediating early embryonic development and organogenesis.
FactualRememberDescribe the initial organisational features established in early embryos, such as germ layers and embryonic axes, which provide the basic framework on which to build the functional organs of the body
FactualAnalyseExplain molecular methods & experimental approaches to demonstrate understanding of morphological & molecular processes underpinning early development through to creation of 3D form by morphogenesis

Compatibility Mode

We have detected that you are have compatibility mode enabled or are using an old version of Internet Explorer. You either need to switch off compatibility mode for this site or upgrade your browser.