Introduction
The Master's in proteomics and bioinformatics is jointly organised by the Faculties of Medicine
and Sciences of the University of Geneva and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.
It proposes theoretical courses, wet-lab and dry-lab hands-on experience to study
bioinformatics and proteomes. A proteome is the set of proteins of one organism
expressed by the genome in a given moment in time, and proteomics is the investigation
of proteomes. The analysis through time of interactions and modifications of proteins
provides supplementary information about their functions, biological mechanisms and
in particular about diseases.
Bioinformatics applies computer sciences and information technology to generate new
algorithms and tools to store, organise and analyse large amounts of proteomics,
genomics and other molecular biology datasets. It facilitates and accelerates our
knowledge of biological processes.
Both proteomics and bioinformatics benefit from the evolution and automation of
biochemical techniques and informatics analysis. They instigate the increasing
interest from the pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
The key topics investigated in the research laboratories are reflected in the
teaching programme of the Master’s degree in Proteomics and Bioinformatics. Among
the various choices, the student will be able to dig deeper in themes such as:
- development of bioinformatics tools for proteomics or genomics
- analysis and evaluation of bioinformatics tools
- implementation of proteomics databases for the web
- proteomics analysis of tissues and physiological fluids to search for disease biomarkers
- tuning and development of analytical methodologies for the separation of proteins
- quantitation and identification of proteins or peptides from proteomics samples
Overview
It is open to candidates holding a bachelor's degree in biology, biochemistry, chemistry,
pharmacy, medicine or computer sciences. The courses are in agreement with the European
standards defined by the Bologna declaration. The mandatory courses are in English or French.
The master may be done in three semesters, the equivalent of 90 ECTS credits, which are
summarised as follows:
| 1st semester |
|
2nd semester |
|
3rd semester |
| mandatory courses - 25 ECTS
| |
practical training - 15 ECTS
| |
practical training - 30 ECTS |
| optional courses - 5 ECTS |
|
optional courses - 15 ECTS |
|
|
Objectives
The objective of this master is to give students a complete education on methods and techniques
in proteomics and bioinformatics. Once graduated, the students should be capable of producing,
analysing and interpreting proteomic data. They will acquire the necessary scientific
knowledge to develop, understand and create bioinformatics tools and databases.
This master prepares students for research in proteomics and bioinformatics, for research
in life sciences in general and for a career in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. It
also gives access to PhD studies in biology, biochemistry or bioinformatics.
Organisers
Dept. of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Medicine
Dept. of Informatics, Faculty of Sciences
Swiss-Prot and Proteome Informatics Group, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Coordinator:
Patricia Palagi
Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
CMU, 1 Michel-Servet
CH-1211 Geneva 4 - Switzerland
Tripartite Commission:
The Master's in proteomics and bioinformatics is under the responsibility of a Tripartite Commission
composed by:
- Bastien Chopard and Ron D. Appel (for the Faculty of Sciences)
- Jean-Charles Sanchez and Oliver Hartley (for the Faculty of Medicine)
- Amos Bairoch and Patricia Palagi (for the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics)
