Site Navigation
Welcome
Important Notice and Disclaimer
Academic Schedule
Types of Credentials and Sub-Degree Nomenclature
Undergraduate Degrees with a Major
Combined Degrees
Minor Programs
Student and Campus Services
Admissions
Academic Regulations
Experiential Learning
Tuition and General Fees
Student Financial Support
Architecture, Planning and Landscape, School of
Faculty of Arts
Cumming School of Medicine
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Haskayne School of Business
Faculty of Kinesiology
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Nursing
Qatar Faculty
Schulich School of Engineering
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Work
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Werklund School of Education
Embedded Certificates
Continuing Education
COURSES OF INSTRUCTION
How to Use
Courses of Instruction by Faculty
Course Descriptions
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J, K
L
M
Management Studies MGST
Manufacturing Engineering ENMF
Marine Science MRSC
Marketing MKTG
Mathematics MATH
Mechanical Engineering ENME
Medical Graduate Education MDGE
Medical Physics MDPH
Medical Precision Health MDPR
Medical Science MDSC
Medicine MDCN
Museum and Heritage Studies MHST
Music MUSI
Music Education MUED
Music Performance MUPF
N, O
P
Q
R
S
T, U
V, W, Z
About the University of Calgary
Glossary of Terms
Archives
Contact Us
University of Calgary Calendar 2023-2024 COURSES OF INSTRUCTION Course Descriptions M Medical Graduate Education MDGE
Medical Graduate Education MDGE

For more information about these courses, see Graduate Science Education cumming.ucalgary.ca/gse.

Graduate Courses
Medical Graduate Education 601       Business Fundamentals
An overview of the primary business aspects involved in the health care product development industry, including company creation, intellectual property, financing, regulatory and clinical affairs, valuations and exit strategies. The principal objective is to develop a general understanding of how these different aspects integrate to form a functioning business.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 602       Intellectual Property and Agreements
Examines what it means to develop an Intellectual Property strategy for creating value in a business, as well as for reducing business risk. Provides foundational knowledge on the various forms of IP, including patents, trade secrets, industrial designs, trademarks and copyright, with a focus on critical analysis of patents, along with types of agreements used for transacting IP.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 603       Project Management and Corporate Leadership
A workshop-based approach to build knowledge and skills across project management tools and techniques, to enable project planning and delivery. Explanation of corporate, personal and team leadership as well as principles applicable to larger organizations will be discussed.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 604       Finances in Biomedical Technology
Explores how the financial community views and values biotechnology business opportunities, and the concepts and skills required to do the financial analysis. Covers some of the issues surrounding the investment process and expectations when interacting with potential investors, reading and analyzing financial statements, estimating and forecasting cash flows, and value investment and financing proposals.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 605       Regulatory Affairs
Examines key regulatory requirements of the leading regulatory bodies globally for biologic, small molecule, and medical device manufacturing, including consequences of non-compliance in regulatory affairs.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 606       Clinical Trials
Provides a general understanding and overview of clinical trials, their conduct and how they are regulated. An emphasis will be placed on regulatory obligations and current trends.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 607       Communication, Marketing and Sales
Introduces communication planning, marketing segmentation and sales strategies for the health product sector of biotechnology targeting the investment segment, health professionals and end-users.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 608       Business Case Studies
Examines strategic planning, business model and priorities of biotechnology companies. Critical evaluation of publicly traded biotechnology companies.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 609       Business Integration
Integrating lessons learned in prior business modules and extrapolating to the corporate environment, plus business pitches.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Master of Biomedical Technology program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 610       Foundations of Bioinformatics
An exploration of the algorithmic foundations of established and emerging bioinformatics techniques, spanning dynamic programming, stochastic processes, probabilistic modelling, Bayesian inference, machine learning, and other topics from computational statistics. Big versus small data, divergent philosophical perspectives, and recent controversies in genomics are addressed through in-class discussions, current literature, and self-directed workshops.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (1-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Bioinformatics specialization of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program; or some computational background including programming or scripting ability and consent of the faculty.
Also known as:
(formerly Medical Science 679)
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 612       Foundations of Machine Learning
Basic statistical/computational theories and current libraries for machine learning will be introduced. Content may evolve according to the progress of the field but includes: 1. History and current status of machine learning. 2. Linear models and regularization. 3. Support vector machine and kernel methods. 4. Neural networks (including deep learning). The module introduces both theories and implementations, with a focus on applying the techniques to biological and medical big-data. The level of difficulties may be adjusted according to the diverse backgrounds of the attendees.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (1-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Graduate Education 610.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 614       Biology for Bioinformatics
An introduction to how biologists approach the study of the problems of life, with an emphasis on sub-organismal scales (molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics), model organisms, and evolutionary processes.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (1-0)
Notes:
This course is intended for students in the Bioinformatics specialization of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program who lack prior significant course work in the life sciences.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 615       Communicating Science and Innovation
Covers basic principles of communicating complex science topics in a clear, vivid and engaging way to distinct audiences including the general public. Includes exploration of the deep and fundamental challenge facing scientists communicating their work and the importance of resetting the dial from “content first” to “audience first”
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the Biomedical Technology Graduate Program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 620       The Essentials of Cancer Science
A comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of cancer, encompassing the hallmarks of cancer, cancer epidemiology and prevention, the basics of early cancer detection, historical-to-modern standards of cancer patient care and anti-cancer therapy, and the essentials of data science in the cancer paradigm.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.
Also known as:
(formerly Medical Graduate Education 621)
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 622       Principles and Applications of Proteomics
An overview of proteomics, focussing on the objectives of these disciplines, the technologies, methods and informatics used in biological mass spectrometry as applied to the ‘omics. This involves the practical analysis of a protein sample provided to (or by) the student in a laboratory environment, and the generation of an informatics report.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 623       Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy
Introductory topics in tumour immunobiology and immunotherapy will be covered. Fundamental and translational topics including, tumour immunogenicity, tumour immune surveillance and editing, immune escape, active immunotherapy, passive immunotherapy, virotherapy and viral vaccines, therapies targeting immunosuppressive mechanisms, and personalized immunotherapy.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 624       Cell Cycle Regulation in Cancer and Aging
The links between cancer and aging, the experimental definition of the cell cycle, major events in G0, G1, S, G2, M, drivers and regulators of the cell cycle including oncogenes and tumour suppressors, cyclins, CDKs, CDIs and links to the cell cycle through tumour suppressors will be covered. An overview of biological and replicative aging including recent developments regarding the role of epigenetic modifications in cancer and aging.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 625       Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics
Fundamentals of eukaryotic chromatin assembly, dynamic chromatin regulation and post-translational modifications that comprise epigenetics. DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, histone variants, regulatory siRNA, nucleosome remodelling and higher-order chromatin organization. Cancer and disease-associated epigenetic alterations will be discussed in detail.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 626       DNA Damage Signalling and Repair
DNA repair pathways, highlighting the cellular responses to ionizing radiation will be covered, including: base excision repair, mismatch repair, nucleotide excision repair, and DNA single strand and double strand break repair. The relationship of replication stress and telomere maintenance to genomic instability in a cancer context will be covered.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.   
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 628       Tumour Microenvironment Dynamics
An overview of how tissue microenvironments influence tumour formation, evolution, progression and metastasis, and how to study this in the laboratory. May include tumour-stroma interplay, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, angiogenesis, tumour metastasis and the effects of the tumour microenvironment on cancer therapy and diagnosis.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 629       Molecular Cancer Signalling Networks
A systematic review of the molecular events underlying cancer formation and evolution, including cancer-driving changes to inter- and intra-cellular growth signalling networks, key growth receptor molecular mechanisms and cancer-specific alterations to cell nutrient response pathways.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 630       Anti-Cancer Therapeutics and Clinical Trials
An overview of current anti-cancer therapeutics, including radiation, immuno- and chemo-therapeutic options, as well as the use of personalized medicine approaches to improving patient outcomes. Learning objectives include how to design preclinical studies to support human clinical trials, with a major focus on ethics considerations.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 631       Fundamentals of Brain Development, Physiology and Disease
A systemic overview of how the brain develops and functions at the cellular, biochemical and molecular level, but in the context of the etiology of prevalent and rare diseases, including neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative syndromes, as well as paediatric and adult brain tumours.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.     
Antirequisite(s):
Credit for Medical Graduate Education 631 and Medical Science 619.01 (Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neuroscience) will not be allowed.       
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 632       Principles of Light Microscopy
Fundamentals of standard wide-field fluorescence microscopy as well as confocal and multiphoton techniques. Key concepts such as the optical light path, spatial resolution, and sampling will be emphasized. In addition, students will have the opportunity to assemble basic bright-field and fluorescence microscopes using optical “lego”.

Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the program.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 633       Advanced Techniques in Optical Microscopy
Advanced techniques in optical microscopy covered though a combination of lectures and activities. Topics include total internal reflection (TIRF) microscopy, superresolution, light sheet techniques and other rapidly developing technologies. Also includes one or more selected topics in targeted illumination including fluorescence recovery after photo activation (FRAP).
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Graduate Education 632.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 634       Digital Imaging for Optical Microscopy
The concept of the digital image and its relevance to optical microscopy will be introduced. The workflow from image acquisition to image analysis and presentation of data for publication will be covered. Good practices and pitfalls will be emphasized at every step. Students will gain experience in image processing and analysis using the standard open source package FIJI.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Graduate Education 632.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 635       Hereditary and Environmental Causes of Cancer
A summary of major sources and drivers of cancer, including the interplay between hereditary cancer predisposition and genetics, the relationship between metabolism and environmental carcinogens, viral and microbial sources of cancer, major chemical and radiation carcinogens, and modifiers of cancer risk, including behaviours, policies and interventions.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program or the Cancer Biology Specialization of the Medical Science graduate program.
Also known as:
(formerly Medical Graduate Education 627)
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 651       Microbial Virulence Factors
Virulence factors used by microbial pathogens to cause disease. Topics include microbial adherence mechanisms, toxigenic infections, virulence factor secretion systems, microbial gene expression.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Science 611 or Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology 431.       
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 652       Microbial Interactions at Epithelial Surfaces
Strategies used by microbial pathogens to target mucosal surfaces, and their contribution to disease. Topics include microbial disruption of epithelial barrier function, interactions with the host microbiome, microbial adaptation to host defenses, and invasion and intracellular survival strategies.

Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Science 611 or Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology 431.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 653       Antimicrobials and Resistance
Mechanism of action of antimicrobials, and resistance genes. Topics will also include transmission of resistance and discovery of new antimicrobials.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Medical Science 611 or Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology 431.     
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 654       Infection and Immunity
Interactions with microbial pathogens with the innate and adaptive immune systems. Topics include immune evasion, pathogen clearance, and vaccine development.

Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Program Director.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 655       Autoimmunity and Immunodeficiency
Advanced course focusing on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of systemic and organ-specific autoimmunity, acquired immunodeficiencies including those in the context of organ transplantation, and immunomodulatory therapies.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Program Director.    
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 721       Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Scientific Method, Data Analysis and Communication
Covers landmark discoveries in biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB), new and evolving BMB technologies, and how these can be implemented into modern research programs. Application of the scientific method, technical and ethical considerations surrounding data analysis, and essential skills for communicating scientific discoveries in the realm of peer-reviewed publication, presentation and grant application contexts.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 722       Nucleic Acids, DNA Replication, Transcription and RNA Signalling
Covers the detailed structure and basic biochemical features of DNA, as it is folded and as it functions inside the eukaryotic nucleus. Topics will include how the 2-metre-long human genome is packaged by “chromatin”, how transcription factors are able to choose particular DNA sequences and how this choice leads to active transcription of specific genes, how various classes of transcribed RNA are synthesized and processed, how RNAs function as regulatory molecules, and how the entire genome is replicated in eukaryotic cells.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 723       Translation, Protein Folding and Post-Translational Modification
Covers cellular protein synthesis, modification and degradation. Topics include the molecular basis of mRNA translation, how ribosomes are synthesized and regulated, how proteins are folded and may be modified post-translationally by enzymatic and non-enzymatic means, regulation of proteostasis and protein degradation. Emerging technologies in the study of protein synthesis and post-translational modifications at a molecular level are reviewed.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 724       Introduction to Bioinformatics Resources
Covers key bioinformatics concepts, practices, and analytical resources for graduate-level biologists who are not bioinformatics specialists. Introduces essential bioinformatics terminologies and discusses the use of bioinformatics to infer information about organisms and populations from their genomes and transcriptomes. Provides practical experience with bioinformatics tools and develop basic skills in the collection and presentation of bioinformatics data.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program. 
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 725       Applied Genomics
Covers high throughput DNA sequencing technologies and genome-wide association genetics. Provides an overview of the available genomics technologies and their applications for high throughput discovery in biology (model organisms) and medicine (cancer and Mendelian disease genomics). Discussions will also encompass research ethics considerations for collecting, storing and using human genomic data.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 726       Applied Structural Biology
Students will learn how to describe structures of biological macromolecules and explain the most commonly occurring methods for determination and analysis of the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules. Provides an overview of biophysical and structural methods used to study the regulation and function of biomolecules, tutorials on commonly available structural visualization software and resources and how structure-guided drug design is being used for pre-clinical drug discovery.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the course co-ordinator. Preference will be given to those in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate program.
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 755       Directed Studies
Lectures, seminars, term papers or training in theoretical and/or laboratory methods at the advanced level in the medical sciences.
Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Program Director.    
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
back to top
Medical Graduate Education 799       Topics in Medical Sciences

Course Hours:
1 unit; (12 hours)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Program Director.    
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
back to top