Admission requirements
This course is open to MSc students in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Biology, Life Science & Technology (LST), Chemistry, and related fields.
Exchange students who wish to take this course must have a BSc Biology or equivalent degree.
Description
The Master Course Multi-Omics for Drug Discovery explores the cutting-edge integration of different multi-omics approaches to discover and/or optimize bioactive compounds. Organisms such as microbes or plants are presented as "biofactories" of natural products, offering a deep dive into their potential for producing novel bioactive compounds.
Designed for students specializing in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology or Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences, the course bridges fundamental research and applied science by exploring how genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data drive drug discovery. Students will learn how molecular biology tools and omics technologies contribute to the identification, optimization, and production of natural products. While rooted in academic research, the course highlights how these discoveries inform pharmaceutical innovation.
The course combines state-of-the-art lectures delivered by top scientists with foundational instruction and a hands-on workshop, where students will analyze multi-omics datasets and write a critical discussion of their findings.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Analyze genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic datasets to answer scientific questions
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of multi-omics approaches when studying natural product-producing organisms, such as microbes, fungi, and plants
- Explain the molecular mechanisms regulating biosynthetic pathways and discuss their relevance for drug discovery and biotechnology applications
- Design experimental plans for optimizing natural product discovery based on the interpretation of multi-omics data and propose follow-up experiments.
Schedule
The timetables are available through MyTimetable (see the button in the upper right corner). See Brightspace for a detailed schedule.
Teaching method
The course consists of lectures and a hands-on workshop. A foundational understanding of biochemistry is required.
Assesment method
Written assessment (Exam, 50%) about the content of the lectures.
Workshop Report (50%): Assessment based on the analysis, interpretation, and clarity of the A4 discussion paper.
Both need a minimum of 5.5 to pass the course.
The final mark for the course is established by (i) determination of the weighted average of the partial grades combined with (ii) a minimum assessment of 5.5 for each partial grade.
Resit, review & feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest.
Reading list
n.a.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap (button in upper right corner) is mandatory. General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
Coordinator: Dr. Isabel Nuñez Santiago
Email: i.nunez.santiago@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Software
The Faculty of Science uses the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.