Cell Biology (Thesis) (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Anatomy and Cell Biology (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Sc. in Cell Biology focuses on the study of the assembly, structure and functional dynamics of macromolecular protein complexes. The research topics range from the understanding of the mechanisms of bacterial antimicrobial resistance to unveiling the mechanisms of cell division, transport and sorting of proteins, structure and function of extracellular matrices, and the mechanisms of cancer and aging. Training includes the application of cutting-edge technologies to molecular and cell biology, based on hypothesis-driven research.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis Course (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 698 | M.Sc. Thesis Research 1. | 24 |
M.Sc. Thesis Research 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent research work under the direction ofthe Thesis Supervisor and the guidance of the thesis advisory Committee. | ||
Required Course (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 601 | MSc Seminar Examination. | 3 |
MSc Seminar Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The term before the student graduates, the student is to present a 30 minute seminar on their thesis work in a public seminar open to all members of the Department of Anatomy Cell Biology, followed by a question period lasting 15 to 20 minutes. All faculty, cross-appointed academic staff, post docs and students are expected to attend the seminar. | ||
| ANAT 695 | Seminars in Cell Biology 1. | 3 |
Seminars in Cell Biology 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Weekly assignments based on seminars attended will be graded by the supervisor. A grade of P or F will be assigned. | ||
| ANAT 696 | Seminars in Cell Biology 2. | 3 |
Seminars in Cell Biology 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Weekly assignments based on seminars attended will be graded by the supervisor. A grade of P or F will be assigned. | ||
| ANAT 697 | Seminars in Cell Biology 3. | 3 |
Seminars in Cell Biology 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Weekly assignments based on seminars attended will be graded by the supervisor. A grade of P or F will be assigned. | ||
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
6 credits from one of two streams: Cell Developmental Biology Stream or Human Systems Biology Stream
Cell Developmental Biology Stream
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 690D1 | Cell and Developmental Biology. | 3 |
Cell and Developmental Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current developments in molecular cell biology and developmental biology will be presented by course coordinators and staff from primary papers in the scientific literature. These will be researched and critiqued by students through oral and written presentations. Two term papers are required for students taking the course. | ||
| ANAT 690D2 | Cell and Developmental Biology. | 3 |
Cell and Developmental Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ANAT 690D1 for course description. | ||
Human Systems Biology Stream
** This stream is currently under review. **
6 credits required:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 690D1 | Cell and Developmental Biology. | 3 |
Cell and Developmental Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current developments in molecular cell biology and developmental biology will be presented by course coordinators and staff from primary papers in the scientific literature. These will be researched and critiqued by students through oral and written presentations. Two term papers are required for students taking the course. | ||
| ANAT 690D2 | Cell and Developmental Biology. | 3 |
Cell and Developmental Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ANAT 690D1 for course description. | ||
3 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BMDE 502 | BME Modelling and Identification. | 3 |
BME Modelling and Identification. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Methodologies in systems or distributed multidimensional processes. System themes include parametric vs. non-parametric system representations; linear/non-linear; noise, transients and time variation; mapping from continuous to discrete models; and relevant identification approaches in continuous and discrete time formulations. | ||
| BMDE 519 | Biomedical Signals and Systems. | 3 |
Biomedical Signals and Systems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the theoretical framework, experimental techniques and analysis procedures available for the quantitative analysis of physiological systems and signals. Lectures plus laboratory work using the Biomedical Engineering computer system. Topics include: amplitude and frequency structure of signals, filtering, sampling, correlation functions, time and frequency-domain descriptions of systems. | ||
| BTEC 501 | Bioinformatics. | 3 |
Bioinformatics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This course introduces the application of computer software for analysis of biological sequence information. An emphasis is placed on the biological theory behind analytical techniques, the algorithms used and methods of developing a statistical framework for various types of analysis. | ||
| COMP 564 | Advanced Computational Biology Methods and Research. | 3 |
Advanced Computational Biology Methods and Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Fundamental concepts and techniques in computational structural biology, system biology. Techniques include dynamic programming algorithms for RNA structure analysis, molecular dynamics and machine learning techniques for protein structure prediction, and graphical models for gene regulatory and protein-protein interaction networks analysis. Practical sessions with state-of-the-art software. | ||
| COMP 680 | Mining Biological Sequences. | 4 |
Mining Biological Sequences. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced algorithms for the annotation of biological sequences. Algorithms and heuristics for pair-wise and multiple sequence alignment. Gene-finding with hidden Markov models and variants. Motifs discovery techniques: over representation and phylogenetic footprinting approaches. RNA secondary structure prediction. Detection of repetitive elements. Representation and annotation of protein domains. | ||
| EXMD 602 | Techniques in Molecular Genetics. | 3 |
Techniques in Molecular Genetics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Precise description of available methods in molecular genetics, and rationales for choosing particular techniques to answer questions posed in research proposals for targeting genes in the mammalian genome. Emphasis placed on analysis of regulation of gene expression and mapping, strategies for gene cloning. Course divided between lectures and student seminars. | ||
| MIMM 613 | Current Topics 1. | 3 |
Current Topics 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Graduate students are required to attend eight scientific seminars each term, for three terms. A minimum of four seminars should be attended from the Infection and Immunity Seminar Series offered by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. A maximum of four life sciences-related seminars presented by principal investigators can be attended at McGill University or its affiliated centers (MUHC, LDI, IRCM). | ||
| MIMM 614 | Current Topics 2. | 3 |
Current Topics 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Graduate students are required to attend eight scientific seminars each term, for three terms. A minimum of four seminars should be attended from the Infection and Immunity Seminar Series offered by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. A maximum of four life sciences-related seminars presented by principal investigators can be attended at McGill University or its affiliated centers (MUHC, LDI, IRCM). | ||
| MIMM 615 | Current Topics 3. | 3 |
Current Topics 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. M.Sc. Students (discussion groups with guest speakers). | ||
| NEUR 502 | Basic and Clinical Aspects of Neuroimmunology. | 3 |
Basic and Clinical Aspects of Neuroimmunology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The role of inflammation in physiological function of the nervous system, as well as in a broad range of neurological diseases where inflammation can act as a contributing factor to the development of pathology or promote recovery, including fundamentals of neuroimmunology to molecular/cellular aspects of neuroinflammation underlying the pathology seen in clinical conditions. | ||
Upon consultation with the supervisor, students may select a 3-credit course outside of this list from Biomedical Science courses at the 500-600 level.