Course Metabolic Disease Modeling; from Gene to Function

The course C104 Metabolic Disease Modeling; from Gene to Function is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University in 2026.

Criteria for participation: University degree in medicine, dentistry, nursing, or a Master’s degree in other fields and/or postgraduate research fellows (PhD students and research-year medical students).

Aim: Getting familiar with the theoretical background, the experimental methods, and the interpretation of results in studies investigating the consequences of mutations and molecular disease mechanisms, with a focus on inborn and acquired metabolic disorders.

Learning outcomes: 

• From gene to metabolic phenotype
• Mitochondria as energy and stress signaling organelles
• Methods for experimental investigations of the effects of gene variations
• Design and interpretation of cellular and in vitro experiments
• Design and interpretation of metabolism assays, incl. bioenergetics profiling (Seahorse)

Workload: The full workload of the course is expected to be 40 hours.

Content: The course consists of a theoretical part, including lectures and group work, and 'hands-on' experimental exercises. In the theoretical part, we introduce knowledge on the types of gene variants and the design and evaluation of expression experiments aimed at investigating the effects of disease-associated gene variations and acquired metabolic diseases. In the practical part, we will perform experimental analyses to study metabolic disease phenotypes, incl. cellular energy metabolism using the Seahorse metabolic analyzer.

Instructors: Researchers and Biomedical Laboratory Technologists from the hosting lab.

Venue: Aarhus University, Aarhus

Participation in the course is without cost for:

• PhD students, Health Research Year students from Aarhus University
• PhD students enrolled at partner universities of the Nordoc collaboration
• PhD students from other institutions in the open market agreement for PhD courses

Course dates:

• 28 September 2026 08:30 - 16:30
• 29 September 2026 08:30 - 16:30
• 30 September 2026 08:30 - 16:30
• 01 October 2026 08:30 - 16:30