Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Ph.D.
Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
Head: Dr. B. Triggs-Raine
Associate Head: Dr. S. Gibson
Grad Chair: Dr. J. Wigle
Campus Address/General Office: 336 - 745 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0J9
Telephone: 204-789-3593
Fax: 204-789-3900
Email Address: bmgadmin@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/medicine/medicine/department-biochemistry-and-medical-genetics
Academic Staff: Please refer to the Biochemistry website for Faculty information.
Biochemistry and Medical Genetics Program Information
The department offers programs leading to the Masters of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. There are a wide range of potential thesis projects broadly related to one of the following areas of research: cancer, computational biology, epigenetics, genetic basis of development and disease, and regenerative medicine.
Admission Information
Admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.
Admission requirements for doctoral students are found in the Doctor of Philosophy General Regulations section of the Guide.
Biochemistry and Medical Genetics Ph.D. Admission Requirements
A thesis-based Master’s degree (of at least 2 years in duration), or equivalent, in biochemistry, genetics, or a closely related field, from a Canadian university is required for direct admission to the Ph.D. program. In addition, a cumulative GPA of 3.5 (4.5 scale), or equivalent, and no grade less than C+ in the courses taken during the Master’s program is required.
Generally, there is no direct entry into the Ph.D. program for students with Master’s degrees from non-Canadian universities. Admission will also depend upon the availability and willingness of a Faculty Member to supervise the student and resources to support the student's research.
TRANSFER TO A PH.D. PROGRAM
Students registered for a Master’s degree who have made excellent progress over the first year in their program may be considered for transfer to the Ph.D. program. The transfer process, as outlined in the supplemental regulations, must be completed within 16 months of the student’s commencement in the Master’s program.
Application Information
Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Biochemistry and Medical Genetics Ph.D. program of study page.
Degree Requirements
Students who transition from the M.Sc. program are required to take 6 credit hours (in addition to the 10 credit hours required in fulfillment of the MSc program). Students holding a thesis-based M.Sc. degree who enter directly into the Ph.D. program must take a minimum of 9 credit hours.
A written thesis is required for the Doctoral degree.
Expected Time to Graduate: 4–5 years
Progression Chart
| Year 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| GRAD 7300 | Research Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| GRAD 7500 | Academic Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| BGEN 8000 | Research Seminar Ph.D. 1 | 1 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Medical Biochemistry 2 | ||
| Medical Genetics 2 | ||
| Medical Computational Biology 2 | ||
| Additional course(s) to be chosen by the student and his/her advisor and/or advisory committee | 3 | |
| Hours | 10 | |
| Years 2-4 | ||
| GRAD 8000 | Doctoral Thesis | 0 |
| BGEN 8000 | Research Seminar Ph.D. 1 | 1 |
| Hours | 1 | |
| Total Hours | 11 | |
| 1 | Students must enroll in BGEN 8000 every Fall and Winter term of program enrollment. |
| 2 | If, after consultation with the student’s advisory committee, the course coordinator, and the Graduate Student Affairs Committee, it is deemed that a student has already completed or holds a course equivalent to IMED 7120, IMED 7170 or IMED 7280 then alternative coursework will be selected as agreed by the student’s advisor or advisory committee. |
Registration Information
Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.
All new and returning graduate students in the department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics are required to complete a Course Approval Form in consultation with their supervisor prior to registering for courses and making program changes. The Course Approval Form must be signed by the student, supervisor, graduate chair or the department head and submitted to the graduate program coordinator. Only courses that are included on the Course Approval Form will be credited to the student’s program. All course additions and withdrawals (registration revision) must be approved in the same manner by completing or filling out the Registration Revision Form available on the website.
Consult the department office or browse the web for a list of course offerings.
It should be noted that not all courses are offered every year and some courses will be held only with a minimum enrolment. Please check the Aurora catalog to find out when a course is offered.
Regulations
Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.
Supplementary Regulations
Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.
All students must successfully complete:
- GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
- GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;
unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.
Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.
General Regulations
All students must:
- maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).
Courses
Consists of presentations of the student's current research. For Masters students only.
Three hours per week, one term. Purification, bioinformatics, characterization, expression, structure, folding and engineering of proteins.
Current research in human genetics will be explored in the context of the evolving genetic counselling profession. Term paper, reflections and presentations.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: Enrollment in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program or consent of instructor.
An assignment, tutorial and discussions course taken only through consultation with the head of the department. The topics will vary depending upon students' needs and interests, and may include specialized topics not available in regular course offerings.
Lectures, tutorials and assignments designed to review major topics in human genetics and give practical experience in the analysis and interpretation of human genetics data and critical review of published work.
A seminar and assignment course covering an outline of the methods currently in use in human and medical genetic diagnostic and research laboratories. The principles of cell culture, cytogenetic, molecular and biochemical genetic techniques that are used in the diagnosis of human genetic disease and the study of human variation will be reviewed. Students will undertake a practical assignment and write a report.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Lectures, tutorials, and assignments on key concepts, principles, and their applications in mapping the genetic loci/variants for monogenic and complex human diseases/traits.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: BGEN 7090 or consent of instructor.
This course lays the groundwork for the development of genetic counselling clinical skills. Concepts include pedigree development and analysis, history taking, and risk evaluation as it relates to the genetic counselling practice. Overviews of human development, prenatal genetics, cancer genetics, carrier screening and hemoglobinopathies are provided.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program or consent of instructor.
This course builds on the genetic counselling clinical skills developed in BGEN 7142 course. The genetic counselling approach to rare and common genetic/metabolic conditions in the adult and pediatric populations is discussed. The roles of the genetic counsellor, clinical geneticist, other medical specialist and allied health in an interdisciplinary approach to patient care is explored.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: BGEN 7142, enrollment in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program or consent of instructor.
Advanced theoretical and practical aspects of genetic counselling. Ethics, grief, and culture will be explored in the context of genetic counselling practice. Active participation component includes role plays/practical case scenarios.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling Program or consent of instructor.
Cytogenetic methodology; chromosome architecture; karyotype interpretation; indications for referral; chromosome syndromes and anomalies; prenatal diagnosis; chromosomal basis of oncogenesis; flow cytometry; immunogenetics; fluorescent in situ hybridization; the application of molecular technology to chromosome analysis.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Advanced study and reading on two topics chosen by the course director in consultation with the student's supervisor. Topics include but are not limited to Neurochemistry, Lipids, Carbohydrates, Biomembranes, Inborn Errors, Cystoskeleton Proteins.
Advanced study and reading on two topics chosen by the course director in consultation with the student's supervisor. Topics include but are not limited to Neurochemistry, Lipids, Carbohydrates, Biomembranes, Inborn Errors, Cystoskeleton Proteins.
Three hours per week, one term. Chromatin structure. Epigenetic regulation of transcription. Gene expression regulation. Bioinformatics.
Three hours per week, one term. Recent research advances on the study of cellular components, assembly and organization of plasma membrane components, cell signaling, and cell cycle.
This rotation will allow students to observe and participate in various genetic counselling settings. Participation will allow for skill development and practical application of genetic counselling fundamentals. Course graded Pass/Fail.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the M.Sc. Genetic Counselling program.
This rotation will provide year two students full participation in various genetic counselling settings. Students will be able to use advance genetic counselling skills, building on their skill set from the previous introduction to genetic counselling clinical rotation course. This course is evaluated on a pass/fail basis.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: BGEN 7270.
A clinical rotation of varying length designed to provide a genetic counselling student not from the University of Manitoba with clinical education and training within a clinical site associated with the University of Manitoba MSc in Genetic Counselling Program (GCP). Course credit is assigned by the student's home institution.Course graded Pass/Fail.
Consists of presentations of the student's current research. For Ph.D. students only.
The role of in vivo brain imaging (e.g., CT, MRI, PET, SPECT) have been rapidly increasing in the multiple disciplines that investigate the human brain in both clinical and nonclinical domains. The basic concepts, mechanisms and analytical techniques will be introduced for different imaging methods. Students will gain knowledge about what can be done and what cannot be done with each modality.
Lecture, seminar, tutorial and/or demonstration course devoted to basic structure and molecular functions of the different parts of the cell, beginning with the nucleus and concluding with the cell membrane. Topics include basic genetic inheritance principles, chromosomes and gene regulation, protein synthesis and sorting, mitochondrial functions and genetics, biochemical and electrical properties of cell membrane functions.
Lecture, seminar, tutorial and/or demonstration course devoted to the coordination and integration of cellular functions in complex multicellular organisms. Topics include functional interactions between extracellular matrix, cytoskeletons and membranes, cell and extracellular matrix interactions, cell-to-cell communication including signal transduction mechanisms, concepts in the regulation of cell growth and cell death and pluripotent stem cells, and their relevance to normal organ/body development and malignancy.
"Stem CellBiology" focuses on current knowledge of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. We will discuss different conceptual aspects of stem cell properties and potency with a solid coverage of fundamental concepts including stem cell niches and microenvironment. We will further highlight the importance of stem cells in relation to human diseases including cancer (cancer stem cells), spinal cord injury, stem cell modeling of neurological disorders, and transplantation. Finally, this course will have an informative session on important ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cells. This course is suitable for a broad range of graduate students with relevant research interests in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: A basic course in Biology or consent of the instructor(s).
This course will introduce normal and cancer stem cell concepts, with an emphasis on the hierarchical of tumours and the diverse roles of tissue microenvironment in sculpting tumour cell phenotypes. Also, targeting of putative cancer stem cells will be discussed in the context of developing novel treatment strategies.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate course in cell biology or consent of instructor(s).
An interdepartmental multidisciplinary course providing a comprehensive overview of cellular, molecular, developmental and systems neuroscience, as well as the neurobiology of disease. Emphasis will be placed on the application of the fundamental principles of neuroscience to contemporary lab research. ANAT 7270 will provide instruction in neuroanatomy and structure-function in the nervous system.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
This course will discuss current concepts in Neural Stem Cells from basic neurobiology (development, fate specification and maintenance) to their potential clinical applications in treating a broad range of neurological disorders through cell transplantation as well as gene and drug delivery. Neural stem cells play critical roles in the nervous system and the course is developed to build the necessary knowledge for graduate students and residents within all disciplines in neurosciences.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: By instructor approval only.
Stem cell therapy opens up new avenues and has the potential to provide permanent solutions to many irreversible disorders in the body. This course will discuss different aspects of stem cell mediated repair and challenges involved in taking stem cells to the clinical applications. This course will further discuss the use of biomaterials based approaches to enhance homing and engraftment of transplanted stem cells in different organs. The course will also provide an overview of current status of stem based clinical trials, regulatory requirements in clinical practice, and ethical issues that arise.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: by instructor approval only.
This course has been designed to provide doctoral students with an overview of evidence-based principles of learning and teaching, and to enable them to incorporate these principles into the scientific teaching theory, within the context of Bioscience education. The course also prepares the students, as future faculty, to think about learning and teaching as a scholarly endeavor.
This lecture-based course covers the fundamentals of cellular/molecular neurobiology of the nervous system. It will normally be offered on a two year cycle, and students interested in registering should contact the Course Director.
This lecture-based course covers the fundamentals of development and plasticity of the nervous system. It will normally be offered on a two year cycle, and students interested in registering should contact the Course Director.
This lecture-based course covers the fundamentals of systems based neuroscience. It will normally be offered on a two year cycle, and students interested in registering should contact the Course Director.
This lecture-based course covers the fundamental neurobiology of diseases of the nervous system. It will normally be offered on a two year cycle, and students interested in registering should contact the Course Director.
Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids focused on those areas relevant to structure and function of the human body and disease processes. All students are expected to hace completed an introductory biochemistry course. The course will consist of lectures, tutorials, and assigned studies.
This course will examine how human evolutionary history and sociogenetic processes have shaped contemporary patterns of genetic variation, how we can use these patterns to understand the histories and relationships of contemporary human populations, and appropriate methods to assay and interpret these genetic variation patterns.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Incoming students must have passed the graduate Medical Genetics (IMED 7170) course or its undergraduate equivalent, Introduction to Human Genetics (BGEN 3020), or equivalent course prior to taking this course.
This course will examine the latest genetic evidence on the origins and evolution of anatomically modern humans and their peopling of the world, the coevolution of genes and culture, and the emergence and dispersal of genetic risk factors for Mendelian and complex diseases and traits that afflict contemporary human populations.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: Incoming students must have passed the Foundations in Human Population and Evolutionary Genetics (IMED 7130) or an equivalent course prior to taking this course.
Designed to introduce graduate students to the field of human genetics. Both basic science and clinical issues will be discussed in this course.
For students who wish to understand advances made in medicine/biology through molecular and developmental approaches. Topics for discussion will be selected from the recent literature in consultation with participating students. The course will consist of lectures and discussions as well as written and oral presentation of papers by the students.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
This interdisciplinary courses deals with the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying immunologically mediated human diseases.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: IMMU 7070 plus cognate courses in human biology or by consent of instructors.
Biology of cancer including genetics, biochemistry, diagnostics and therapeutics with a focus on fundamental, translational and clinical application.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: All students are expected to have completed an introductory biochemistry, cell biology or genetics course and will require consent of instructor.
Emphasis on current understanding about the dynamic mechanisms that instruct when and where genomic DNA is turned on or off. We will discuss the epigenetic mechanisms that control differentiation of specialized cell types during development. Additionally, this course will highlight recent advancements on the impact of epigenetics in neurodevelopmental diseases with regards to the etiology, progression, diagnosis and treatment. In this respect, application of stem cell biologyin regenerative medicine, genome-wide genetic-epigentic strategies and gene therapy approaches will be discussed.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: A basic course in biology, or consent of instructor.
(Formerly: PATH 7020) This course introduces the student to the basic principles of disease processes, with use of case models to illustrate mechanisms. An assigned review, in conjunction with an essay and power point presentation will form part of the course. There are no course prerequisites.
This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge on nucleic acids structure and function. It will highlight how DNA and RNA contribute to the mechanisms and underlying normal development as well as pathologies including cancer and genetic diseases. To be fully beneficial for the student, it is highly recommended that this course be taken together with IMED 7244.
This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge on nucleic acids manipulation. It will highlight how DNA and PNA can be modified and used in Biomedical Research. To be fully beneficial for the student, it is highly recommended that this course be taken together with IMED 7242.
“Medical Computational Biology” provides the basic knowledge necessary for students to pursue research in the use of computational methods in biomedical research. The course will focus on concepts necessary for applying computation to genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics experimental data and their application to topics relevant to human health. This course is suitable for a broad range of students with interest in large scale biomedical research.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: a basic course in biology and mathematics or the consent of the instructor(s).
Emphasizes current principles of organ system development and its application to transgenic approaches to gene function in the context of a whole, developing organism.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: IMED 7090 or consent of instructor.
Theory and practice of modern microscopy, optics, molecular imaging, and analyses used in health research. Participants will gain in depth knowledge through seminars by local and external experts in the field and by hands-on laboratory work in preparing samples for imaging and analyses. Images will be acquired using equipment at the Genomic Centre for Cancer Research and Diagnosis at the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology. Students will also participate in interactive tutorials and journal club.
Seminar course in which students will learn about innovative methods and advanced analyses of molecular imaging in biomedical research including 2-dimentional and 3-dimensional fluorescent in situ hybridization, live-cell imaging, spectral imaging, and multi-colour imaging. Students will participate in hands-on laboratory exercises, interactive tutorials and journal club.
Seminar course in which students will learn about functional genomics and approaches to whole genome analyses using array technologies. Course content will be delivered by local and external experts in the field. Students will participate in hands-on laboratory exercises with micro-array platforms and computer-based data analyses, interactive tutorials and journal club.
A course theoretical and practical instruction in scientific investigation, including research ethics, research design, data evaluation and presentation, as well as critical reviewing and preparation of applications for research funding.