Μolecular Anatomy – Μοlecular Histopathology

Coordinators: E. Petrou-Papadakis, V. Bravou

Objectives and goals

  1. The systematic presentation of the normal molecular profile of human cells/tissues and organs during embryogenesis and adult life and the integration of knowledge regarding the structure/composition of the human body in the macroscopic, microscopic, ultrastructural and molecular level.
  2. Linking the knowledge of the macroscopic, microscopic and molecular anatomy with physiology and pathology of human diseases leading thus to the better understanding of pathophysiology, pathogenesis, microscopic, ultrastructural and molecular alterations of common and important human diseases.
  3. The study of the pathogenesis and the microscopic, ultrastructural and molecular histopathological alterations in common human diseases with emphasis in human cancer, bone/cartilage and soft tissue diseases, renal pathology and cardiovascular diseases.
  4. Familiarizing students with the technical background and practice of research  and diagnostic methodology applied to human tissue samples.

Course detailed description

The course of Molecular Anatomy-Molecular Histopathology includes lectures from faculty members and invited speakers, scientific presentations by the students (small projects/small working groups) and practice in methods commonly applied to human tissue material.

Lectures are divided in three parts:

  1. Molecular Anatomy of human cells/tissues and organs
    -Integration of knowledge regarding the structure/composition of the adult human body in the macroscopic, microscopic ultrastructural and molecular level.
  2. Molecular Histopathology. Study of microscopic, ultrastructural and molecular alterations of common and important human diseases with emphasis in human cancer, bone/cartilage and soft tissue diseases, renal pathology and cardiovascular diseases. Correlation with basic, translational and clinical research.
  3. Molecular Developmental Anatomy
    -Study of the molecular profile of cells and tissues in the human embryo during histogenesis/organogenesis
    -Correlation with classic developmental anatomy (Embryology)
    -Correlation with developmental and adult human diseases
  4. Basics of light, fluorescence and electron microscopy and of research/diagnostic methodology applied to human tissue material (histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, tissue microarrays, PCR, real time RT-PCR, Western Blotting, primary cell cultures etc)

Laboratory practice

Practice in tissue histology, histopathology and molecular pathology techniques including tissue fixation and processing for light and electron microscopy, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, light and fluorescence microscopy, Westren immunoblotting, PCR and RT-PCR from human tissue, in situ hybridization, tissue macroarrays, mesenchymal cell cultures.