Biomedical Sciences Master’s program at University of Alabama at Birmingham

If you're interested in careers in the medical field (e.g., medical, dental, PA, pharmacy school), research science, scientific policy, science communication, science education, biomedical sales, and the Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science (MBS) might be for you.

We offer an exciting, innovative curriculum. A wide range of elective classes are offered through several STEM-themed disciplines that cater to a wide array of career trajectories. Concentrations are available in many scientific disciplines unique to Masters programs in Alabama including: Cancer Biology, Genetics and Genomic Sciences Neuroscience Pharmacology Bioinformatics and Immunology.

Flexibility. You can start the MBS program in fall or spring semesters, which provides students with important flexibility for beginning their graduate studies. Additionally, our program offers full-time or part-time options for students.

The MBS program offers competitive, partial academic scholarships for newly admitted students to MBS. Receipt of funds toward their second and third semester coursework will require good academic standing (maintaining a minimum 3.5 Graduate GPA at the end of their first and second semesters, respectively). Students must maintain full-time status for the duration of their award.

The MS in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science is intended as a terminal degree for students desiring many different career paths, including but not limited to: research (laboratory jobs in academia or industry), further graduate study (e.g. PhD), professional school (e.g. medical or dental), science education, scientific policy, science communication, or biomedical sales.

Pre-requisite courses (Introductory Biology and labs ganic Chemistry and labs).

In addition to Introductory Biology and Organic Chemistry, a background in the following courses is helpful for success in our program but is not required for admission: Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology.

The Plan I MS in MBS thesis degree at UAB can be completed over the course of five to six semesters if full-time, including at least one summer semester. Plan I students will complete a rigorous mentored research project in addition to a curriculum of required core and elective classes related to the biomedical sciences.

Successful completion of the Plan I MS in MBS degree requires passing 45 credit hours (30 hours coursework 15 hours supervised research) and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Successful completion of the Plan I MBS degree requires passing 45 credit hours and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. These credit hours are composed of 30 hours of coursework and 15 hours of supervised thesis research (MBS 699).

Core science (MBS 601 (4 hours), 602 (4 hours), 603 (4 hours), 12 hours total) .

For the qualifying exam, Plan I students are expected to prepare a 4-6 page NIH-style grant proposal of their research project and present this to their committee. Plan I students are also required to subsequently complete a thesis document of their research findings and defend this to their committee. Research projects performed by Plan I students should be able to be completed within 5 semesters. Before students can perform research they must complete all lab-specific safety training. Students must also complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training for MS students before the end of their first semester registered for MBS 698.

The Plan II MBS non-thesis degree at UAB can be completed over the course of three semesters if full-time, including one summer semester. Plan II students will complete a rigorous curriculum of required core and elective classes related to the biomedical sciences.

Successful completion of the Plan II MBS degree requires passing 30 credit hours of coursework and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

There are six concentration options within the MBS program:.

This course will provide a broad but rigorous of molecular biology. Cell Structure and between prokaryotes and eukaryotes will be compared and contrasted. DNA structure organization will be discussed with respect to replication and repair mechanisms. Mendelian, non-Mendelian and chromosonal bases of genetics will also be discussed. Transcription and translation will be discussed in detail, along with their respective regulatory mechanisms. Throughout this course there will be a focus on intracellular organelles that contribute to the generation and regulation of DNA, RNA and protein.

This course will cover the structure, function and metabolism of biological macromolecules including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleotides. A rigorous of pathways will be discussed that are important for the effective metabolism of macromolecules (e.g. glycolysis, citric acid cycle) and generation of energy for cells. The last part of this course will discuss membrane structure and function, and will provide an of eukaryotic cell signaling.

This course begins with the study of basic cell function, then proceeds to a rigorous of specific human organ systems.

BST 603: Introductory Biostatistics for Graduate Biomedical Sciences3 Credit Hours.

This course will provide non-biostatistics students seeking a Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) degree with the ability to understand introductory biostatistics concepts.

Introduction to Probability and Statistics with applications in Computer Science. Counting, permutations and combinations. Probability, conditional probability, Bayes Theorem. Standard probability distributions. Measures of central tendency and dispersion. Central Limit Theorem. Regression and correlation. Hypothesis testing. Random number generation. Random algorithms. Estimating probabilities by simulation. Genetic algorithms.

Students must complete 12 credit hours of elective courses. Completion of 9 credit hours from a single theme is required to earn one of the MSMBS program concentrations. These are currently:.

This course introduces various fundamental algorithms and computational concepts for solving questions in bioinformatics and functional genomics. These include graph algorithms, dynamic programming, combinatorial algorithms, randomized algorithms, pattern matching, classification and clustering algorithms, hidden Markov models and . Each concept will be introduced in the context of a concrete biological or genomic application. A broad range of topics will be covered, ranging from gene identification, genome reconstruction, microarray data analysis, phylogeny reconstruction, sequence alignments, to variant detection.

The introduction of biological data management concepts, theories, and applications. Basic concepts such as relational data representation, relational database modeling, and relational database queries will be introduced in the context of SQL and relational algebra. Advanced concepts including ontology representation and database development workflow will be introduced. Emerging big data concepts and tools, including Hadoop and NoSQL, will be introduced in the context of managing semi-structured and unstructured data. Application of biological data management in biology will be covered using case studies of high-impact widely used biological databases. A class project will be required of all participants.

Biomedical Applications of Natural Language Processing3 Credit Hours.

Students will be introduced to Natural Language Processing (NLP) including core linguistic tasks such as tokenization, lemmatization stemming, Part of Speech tagging, parsing and chunking. Applications covered include Named Entity Recognition, semantic role labeling, word sense disambiguation, normalization, information retrieval, question answering and text classification. Applications and data will have a biomedical focus, but no biology or medical background is required.

This course will cover the basic tenets of cell biology as they apply to cancer. and immortalization in relation to cancer cells and the role of telomerase, mutagens, environmental toxins and DNA repair. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

This course will provide an of genomic organization transcription and translation, prior to commencing an in-depth study of cancer genetics and the roles of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, RNA, DNA methylation, gene amplification and the control of gene expression and the viral causes of cancer. Students will also be introduced to basic concepts in bioinformatics and database mining using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as a model. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

This course will examine cancer cell physiology in terms of the tumor microenvironment, nutrients and angiogenesis and will explore how these influence cancer cell survival, invasion and metastasis. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

In this course the major cell signaling pathways involved in cancer cell development will be examined. The role of post-translational modifications of proteins, such as glycosylation will also be discussed. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

This course will examine the pathological changes that occur in cancer cells and tissues. The course will start with a brief of normal histology and will then focus on pathological changes that occur in some select cancers, e.g., colon, lung and breast. This will be followed by exploration of the roles of infection and immunity in cancer that will involve the role of innate and adaptive immunity and cancer cell defenses. The course will conclude by discussing cancer staging and classification of different cancers. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

Major advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple cancers. This course will review current therapeutic approaches to cancer treatment including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and gene therapy. This course will also include an introduction to the role of personalized medicine in cancer treatment. The course will conclude by considering other facets of caring for the patient with cancer including maintenance of nutrition, mental health and palliative care. Prerequisites: CNBY 320 [Min Grade: C].

This course will focus on the medical applications of genetics and genomic technologies. Topics covered include, but are not limited to major forms of chromosomal abnormalities, mutations and genetic disorders, genetic risk assessment and population genetics, and genomic approaches to diagnosis.

This course will cover the basic anatomy, biology, life history, husbandry, and research applications for a variety of aquatic organisms used as animal models of human disease in biomedical research. Species discussed will include zebrafish, Medaka, Xiphorous, Onchorynchus, Xenopus, and Axolotls.

Introduction to computational tools and bioinformatics databases used in the fields of genetics and genomic sciences. This course will cover a wide variety of different bioinformatics applications, which will be taught through use of available on-line bioinformatics resources. Topics covered include large-scale genomic databases, sequence analysis systems, protein sequence analysis, structural bioinformatics, protein folding, and homology modeling.

GGSC 635: Zebrafish as a Model for Biomedical Research 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on the biology, husbandry, and management of zebrafish used as an animal model of human disease in biomedical research. Topics will include anatomy, physiology, systems design, water quality management, behavior and enrichment, spawning and larviculture, nutrition and live feeds, diseases, quarantine, biosecurity, and regulatory compliance.

This course will focus on the techniques and procedures used for research with aquatic animal models of human disease. Lecture and lab approaches are used.

Most of the drugs that we use today were developed with the assumption that the same drug will work equally well in all the patients that have the same disease. However, there is considerable variability between individual patients both in the therapeutic response and the adverse effects of the same drug that is largely determined by the differences in their genotypes. Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics study the genetic determinants of drug response, with the goal to identify genetic variants that can be used to predict the efficacy of a particular drug in a particular patient and to avoid adverse drug reactions. This will ultimately enable implementation of personalized treatment options, by selecting the drugs that will have the best efficacy and the least toxicity for each individual patient. This course will introduce students to the basic principles of pharmacogenetics, demonstrate examples of drug genotype interactions, highlight the available pharmacogenetic resources, and discuss the potential benefits, as well as limitations and challenges of pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine.

Invertebrate and non-human vertebrate species are commonly used in scientific research work to provide significant insights into human genetic processes and disease. This course focuses on the different methods and strategies by which researchers use these systems for genetic and genomic analyses of human biology and relevant disorders. Model organisms covered include, but are not limited to nematodes (C. elegans), fruit flies (Drosophila sp.), zebrafish (Danio rerio), and mice (Mus musculus).

Significant developments in the fields of genetics and genomics are making it possible to tailor medical care to the specific needs of patients. New diagnostic tests, up to and including whole genome sequencing, provide increasingly powerful tools for the identification of the genetic basis of both rare and common disorders. Better understanding of the causes of disease are permitting drugs to be developed that precisely target disease mechanisms, increasing the efficacy and avoiding side effects. These and other new advanced are leading to major changes in healthcare delivery and provide the consumer with new opportunities and complex choices. This course will focus on exploring state-of-the-art genetic, genomic, and informatic tools now available to enable personalization of healthcare.

This course introduces the history of evolutionary thought and modern evolutionary theory. Discussions cover (but are not limited to) the history of life, mechanisms of evolutionary change, sexual selection, adaptation, speciation, and molecular evolution. Students will also be introduced to historical and contemporary studies of evolution on a wide variety of topics and organisms.

Systems biology is an inter-disciplinary study underlying complex biological processes as integrated systems of many interacting components. This course will give students a foundation in understanding complex biological interactions at the molecular, network and genomic level. This course will cover state-of-the-art high throughput established and novel approaches used in genome sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to obtain, integrate and analyze complex data. The students will also get familiar with knowledge on experimental perturbation of genomes, gene regulatory networks, comparative genomics and evolution, basic bioinformatics. This course will be a combination of text based lectures and discussions of the current literature relevant to Functional Genomics and Systems Biology.

This course provides a survey of the field of epigenetics, introducing the student to the diverse areas of epigenetic research in a variety of eukaryotic systems. In addition to providing an of the field of epigenetics, this course emphasizes working with primary scientific literature and the development of critical reading skills. Additional assignments are required for graduate credit.

This course will introduce the cells, receptors, signaling pathways and soluble mediators associated with the innate immune response. The basic components of the innate immune system will then be discussed in the context of their role in the physical, physiological, phagocytic and inflammatory barriers that comprise the innate immune system. Importantly, emphasis will be placed on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that are used by the innate immune system to detect and respond to microbial pathogens to provide the first line of defense.

This course will provide an in-depth analysis of the cells (T, B and antigen presenting cells), tissues (primary and secondary) and soluble factors (cytokines and chemokines) that comprise the adaptive humoral immune response. The course will examine how cells of the adaptive immune system discriminate self from non-self, including the nature of antigen receptors, the types of antigens recognized and the signals involved in the generation of effector cells that mediate the response.

This course will provide an of major concepts related to virulence mechanisms utilized by microbial pathogens and their effect on the host immune response. Emphasis will be placed on important virulence factors mechanisms associated with bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens and how these alter various components of the innate and adaptive immune responses to allow escape of the pathogen and its survival. This course will introduce the concept of emerging infectious diseases and how their spread is related to their ability to escape detection by the immune system.

This course will focus on the role of the immune system, including the molecular and cellular processes, that contribute to morbidity and mortality associated with immunodeficiency (congenital and acquired), asthma allergy, autoimmunity (systemic and organ-specific), transplantation and inflammatory syndromes associated with heart disease, cancer, chronic neurological disease and diabetes.

Molecular Biology of the Neuron will provide students an advanced understanding of how the brain works with a focus on protein function. Everything the brain does is built upon the actions of proteins, many of which are completely unique to the brain. Together we will work to thoroughly understand the exact molecular mechanisms utilized by the brain to support the complex function of our most fascinating organ. Topics covered will include brain morphogenesis, axonal outgrowth, synapse formation, neurotransmitter biosynthesis, intracellular signaling, and the blood brain barrier. Students should have a significant background in biology and or chemistry prior to enrolling in the course. Students will be required to purchase a text. Grades will be assigned based on points accumulated through weekly quizzes, cumulative exams, and written reports.

Cognitive neuroscience research has provided valuable insights into the workings of the human brain. The ability to perform neuroimaging studies on awake human individuals engaged in cognitive, social, sensory, and motor tasks has produced a conceptual revolution in the study of human cognition. This course will comprehensively examine the methods and techniques in neuroimaging with the primary goal of building basic knowledge in the concepts and techniques of neuroimaging. The course will explore techniques, such as single and multi cell recordings, deep brain stimulation, electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, and diffusion tensor imaging, and focuses on functional magnetic resonance imaging. Course goals: By the end of the course, students will have gained basic knowledge in the field and will be able to read and critically assess scientific journal articles that make use of a variety of neuroimaging methods. The secondary and implicit goal of this course is to create and nurture, in students, a genuine interest in neuroscience and neuroimaging.

Molecular, cellular, systems and medical components of neuroscience, with an emphasis on cognition and cognitive disorders. Covers topics ranging from genes and molecules to human behavior, using cognitive function and clinical cognitive disorders as the unifying theme, with a focus on learning and memory and disorders of these processes.

This course provides a comprehensive study of pain, from basic anatomy through clinical treatment and measurement.

This course will provide students with an of the discipline of Pharmacology or the science of the mechanism and regulation of drug action. Processes will be discussed that are affect most drugs and xenobiotics including absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. The course will provide students with concepts that will be applicable to understanding the activity and regulation of drugs discussed in the Systems Pharmacology courses. Concepts presented in the course will be advantageous to all students in understanding therapeutic drug use or in appreciating drug use and action in many different research settings.

This course will introduce the use, mechanism of action and physiological properties of major drug families that are to the nervous system and the endocrine reproductive system. In addition, this course will also cover specific classes of drugs including antibtiotics and chemotherapeutics. Concepts presented in this course will be advantageous to all students in understanding therapeutic drug use or in appreciating drug use and action in many different research settings. This course is a companion course to MBS 613 (Systems Pharmacology II).

This course will introduce drug use, mechanism of action and physiological properties of major drug families, with a focus on speci