Worms in the lab: New curriculum in the life sciences

A very special worm: Caenorhabditis elegans is often used as an animal model for research into human diseases

Worms in the lab

How do you continue developing a degree programme? A team of four H-BRS life sciences professors shows how it‘s done

In the beginning was the worm. More precisely, the nematode, also known as Caenorhabditis elegans. During the 2020/21 research semester, Professor Jörn Oliver Sass from the Department of Natural Sciences worked intensively with this creature, which can grow up to one millimetre in size. “The nematode has equivalents for approximately 60 per cent of human genes with disease relevance. That’s why it’s frequently used as an animal model for researching human diseases,” explains the professor of bioanalytics and biochemistry. Sass learned about the special nature of C. elegans at the University College Dublin and immediately realised that the invertebrate animal was perfect for teaching at H-BRS. “Knowledge of this animal model and initial practical experience with it opens up new perspectives for students of the life sciences.”

Advancement Award Curriculum 4.0

Building on this model, Sass, together with his professorial colleagues Mike Althaus, Dieter Reinscheid and Christopher Volk, is further developing the two degree programmes BSc Applied Biology and MSc Biomedical Sciences. They are supported in this endeavour by the “Curriculum 4.0.nrw” grant for the digitalisation of university teaching, which is endowed with 80,000 euros and awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW in cooperation with the Donors’ Association. With the help of the money, the team wants to introduce more digital technologies into the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes. “The experimental spectrum will be expanded to include video recordings of nematode behaviour and their analyses, which will provide the students with additional analytical and digital skills – especially in the area of video analysis and data presentation,” summarises the bioscientist.

Content and didactics

In addition to continually developing the degree programmes’ content, didactic aspects also play a role. According to Sass, “We teach fundamental processes differently than before. By presenting and digitally recording the stages of embryonic development using C. elegans, for instance”. The students would thus explore a field that is new to them and would be taught with a strong focus on application. The students’ perspective in this process is not neglected either. A student assistant is soon to be hired for the project.

More: BSc Applied Biology www.h-brs.de/en/anna/study/ bachelor/applied-biology

MSc Biomedical Science www.h-brs.de/en/anna/study/ master/biomedical-sciences