Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences

This course will be problem-solving case study and case scenario oriented. Students will learn how to perform, interpret and correlate clinical chemistry test results with multiple organ-related diseases, such as renal, hepatic, and endocrine diseases. Additionally, selected topics in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Toxicology, Trace elements, and Clinical Chemistry of Pediatric and Geriatric patients, will also be presented.

The first part of this course will cover the practice of diagnostic cytology and specimen preparation as applied by medical lab technologist in the diagnostic cytology laboratory. Diagnostic principles and skills pertinent and limited to "cytology screeners" will be introduced. The second part of this course will cover the practice of cytogenetics including metaphase preparation, classical banding, molecular cytogenetics, fluorescent-based chromosome labeling methods and karyotype analysis. Common karyotype aberrations and applications of cytogenetics in diagnosis of genetic diseases and malignancies will be covered.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a background in the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and an appreciation of the continuing and serious impact of infectious disease on modern life. Students will learn basic principles of host-parasite interactions and how human behavior has influenced both the resurgence of old diseases and the emergence of new ones. Intervention strategies, including vaccination and drug therapy, will be discussed, and reasons for the successes and failures of these approaches will be considered for individual cases. Finally, paradigms of host-parasite interactions will be illustrated by studying, at the molecular and cellular levels, specific infectious diseases and the agents that cause them.

This course will extend on the basic immunological knowledge which has been acquired by the students in the bachelor degree. MLS master students will gain advanced insights on the principles and mechanisms of the immune system and immune responses against infections, malignancy and in immunological disorders. In this context, students will learn about assays and techniques employed in the clinical immunology laboratory and used in diagnosing these disorders. Principles of immunotherapy will be addressed as well.

This course will be focusing on training our candidates on peripheral and bone marrow smears; laboratory and morphological hematology; coagulation; the laboratory approach to the diagnosis of benign and malignant hematology disorders; flow cytometric immunophenotyping, hematological cytochemistry and immunohistochemistry; Molecular diagnostics and cytogenetic mechanisms of hematological disorders.

This course will enable students to further their understanding of scientific research through critical exploration of the various elements and components of research. It will introduce students to the language of research, the ethical principles and challenges in research, and the elements of the research process within quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. The students will have the opportunity to review the various approaches scientists in different disciplines use to investigate specific research problems. Knowledge and skills students acquire during introductory lectures and class sessions will help them to critically review the scientific literature in their field of study.

This one credit course is intended to give students practice speaking in front of an audience and to explore topics of their own choosing in detail. Students will research topics and organize presentations for the audience. The topics may be in any aspect of the Medical Laboratory Sciences and must be approved by the instructor in advance. To help students improve as speakers, at the end of all seminars, students will receive feedback from fellow students and their instructor, and discuss and comment on performances in general.

This course provides insight into advanced laboratory techniques with practical applications. Students will be rotating in research labs to gain real-life experience and gain various lab capacities. These include but not limited to: DNA and RNA preparation, bacterial transformations, gel electrophoresis, PCR and real time PCR, Histopathological techniques, Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, Western Blotting, Flow cytometry, tissue culture, Cell manipulation, transformation and cytotoxicity assays.

The students will learn how to use clinical and technical correlation as quality assurance tools to detect patient testing errors. Students also will be introduced to new diagnostic technology applied in medical laboratories, as well as learning how to select, evaluate, design, and perform validation methods on new chemistry instrumentation or analytical methods. Interrelated topics in the medical laboratory including workload management, designing and implementing quality assurance programs, budgeting laboratory operations, applying GLP, and adherence to safety measures, all will be presented in the course.

Students will conduct actual research work under the supervision of a research advisor in one of the core areas of the program (Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Hematology, Immunology, Cancer Biology). He/she will submit, present, and defend their research work, as written in a thesis format, before a formal examination committee.

This course will focus on understanding the underlying genetic and molecular changes of uncontrolled cell growth and metastasis. Topics include: genetic mutations, heredity, immune system dysfunctions, hormonal imbalances, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and epigenetics.

This course will focus on the understanding of cells. Topics covered will include understanding of abnormalities in genetic material that lead to cancer, the effects of carcinogens on cells, cell cycle control, programmed cell death, and regulation of the immune system.

This course will focus on the application of information technology to the field of molecular biology. Topics include: detailed studies on methods of genome analysis and modeling, sequence analysis, analysis of mutations in cancer, prediction of protein structure and high-throughput analysis.

This course presents an overview of the genetic mapping of Mendelian and complex diseases and the identification of disease genes using a number of approaches. The students will analyze and assess the use of Linkage and association studies in mapping disease loci. The course also sheds light on the methods of genetic testing for allelic variants and the concept of population screening. Special emphasis will be given to mapping studies related to Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.