Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology

Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology combines research in the fields of oncology, molecular developmental biology and genetics in plants, animals and humans.

The Master's programme in Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology will guide you in exploring the mysteries of embryonic growth, stem cells, signalling, gene regulation, evolution and development in relation to health and disease.

Understanding fundamental developmental processes is important because these processes are frequently affected in human disease. Many of the important genes and mechanisms controlling development also regulate adult physiology. Deregulation of these genes and mechanisms may result in pathological conditions. Our understanding of the human genome (all genes) and proteome (all proteins) is rapidly increasing, but the regulatory processes that shape our bodies (and, when affected, causes diseases such as cancer) are still poorly understood and require fundamental research. This type of research is the field of Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology.

During your Master’s degree programme in Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology, you will come into contact with the most sophisticated and modern techniques of genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics. Using these techniques you can solve complex questions about regulation of gene expression, transcriptional regulation, protein structure and function, and signal transduction cascades.

Over 50 research teams from Utrecht University, the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) and the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research participate in the programme (see www.cgdb.nl for a complete listing). The programme accordingly offers you a wide range of research projects, from which you can choose freely.