ENS - Enseignement

Advanced Genetics

Anne Zalmanski — 2025-06-17T14:08:12Z

Master in Life Sciences, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-122 - Advanced Genetics

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 program—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from September 19th 2025 to December 19th 2025
Hours : 2pm-5pm (Fridays)

1. Short Description of Course

This course explores the molecular mechanisms driving gene expression and genetic inheritance, with a focus on how genomic variation underlies the development of phenotypes.. Emphasis is placed on the interplay between genetic diversity and environmental factors in shaping expression patterns.
The curriculum delves into complex gene interactions, covering topics such as allelic series, epistasis, and metabolic dominance theory and it introduces the "genome-as-phenotype" concept, examining the roles of transposable elements, sex chromosome biology, and compensatory buffering mechanisms in shaping phenotypic outcomes.
Phenotypic variation is analyzed through quantitative frameworks to explain expressivity, penetrance, robustness, and canalization. The statistical genetics component emphasizes decomposition of phenotypic variance, heritability estimation, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to uncover complex trait architecture and pleiotropic effects. The course will integrate concepts from population genetics and polygenic risk prediction, highlighting the role of phenotypic plasticity and environmental interactions in the genotype-phenotype relationship at both individual and population scales.

Maximum class size : 20 students.
The class is taught in English.

Keywords

Biology, life sciences, genetics, mutation, allelic series, dominance, epistasis, plasticity, epigenetics, TE, sex chromosomes, ploidy, expressivity, penetrance, robustness, canalization, heritability, animal model, QTL mapping, GWAS, pleiotropy, linkage disequilibrium, population structure, polygenic prediction, Human genetics

2. Registration

– Students external to the ENS Biology Department can attend and validate the class if the primary instructor has been contacted beforehand and agreed (see contact information below).
– Following approval, students need to register online at least one week before the course starting date.

3. Location and Timeline

Location : Biology Department, 3rd floor - at ENS, 46 rue d'Ulm, Paris.
Building entry with access card only (visitors must use the intercom at the entrance). The floor and class rooms are accessible without a badge. The building, floor and class room are generally accessible to people with disabilities.

Homework will consist in preparation of journal club discussion, slide presentations, and background reading.

4. Instructors and Contact Information

Primary instructors :
Gersende LEPERE
Henrique TEOTONIO
Preferred method of contact : email

5. Course Communications

Course materials (class syllabus, lecture slides, research articles, R scripts, etc.) will be made available on the Moodle platform.
Course announcements will be made by email and/or posted on Moodle.

6. Course Prerequisites or Co-requisites

Course prerequisites : students are required to have taken Molecular biology and genetics (L3), Math (L3), Biostats (L3).
Important concepts and skills to master : Mendelian genetics, linear regression, genome organization, DNA polymorphisms, mutations, meiosis, ploidy.
Level in programming : basic level in R.

7. Course Format, Teaching Methods, Special Activities

Course format and teaching methods : Lectures given by the primary instructors will be complemented with invited research seminars by external faculty, and student-led analysis and discussion of research articles.
At least one of the sessions will be a hands-on computer tutorial. Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptop with R studio installed prior to class.

8. Expected Learning Outcomes

Details to come.

9. Detailed Schedule and Content

There will be 13, on Friday 14h-17h, (see the general calendar for the dates, detailed schedule to be provided in the first class at the beginning of the course 19th September) :

1 Introduction (Mendelian Genetics)
2 Inverse Genetics (Mutation, promoter, enhancer, suppressor)
3 Gene Interactions (Allelic series)
4 Gene Interactions (Metabolic theory dominance, epistasis)
5 Plasticity and epigenetics
6 Expressivity and Penetrance (TD)
7 Expressivity and Penetrance (TD)
8 Genome as a phenotype (TE, Sex Chromosomes, Compensation)
9 QTL mapping and GWAS
10 Pleiotropy and linkage disequilibrium (TD)
11 Phenotypic variance decomposition (heritability, genomic prediction, polygenic score)
12 Genetic relatedness and the Animal Model (TD)
13 Human genetics

10. Evaluation and Grading

Students will be evaluated based on a written exam and small-group presentation of a research topic at the semester's end.

Student-led presentation 40%
Final exam 60%
Total 100%

11. Required or Suggested Resources

Recommended reading list (available in the science library and from the instructors) :
– Alberts, B., Heald, R., Johnson, A., Morgan, D., Raff, M., Roberts, K., & Walter, P. (2024). Molecular Biology of the Cell. W. W. Norton & Company
– Gibson, G., & Muse, S.V. (2004). A Primer of Genome Science. Sinauer Associates
– Griffiths, A.J.F., Wessler, S.R., Carroll, S.B., & Doebley, J. (2015) An Introduction to Genetic Analysis.
– W. H. Freeman. Kearsey, M.J., & Pooni, H.S. (1996). The Genetical Analysis of Quantitative Traits. Chapman & Hall
– Lynch, M., & Walsh, B. (1998). Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits. Sinauer Associates
– Weir, B.S. (1996). Genetic Data Analysis II : Methods for Discrete Population Genetic Data. Sinauer Associates.

Open desk for coding skills

Morgane Thomas-Chollier — 2023-06-19T14:32:42Z

Master in Life Sciences, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

BIO-M1-CODE-A - Open desk for coding skills

0 to 3 ECTS

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Hours : remotely on your own time

Coordination

Vincent MORIN

Credits

0 or 3 ECTS

Course objectives and description

This teaching unit aims at improving the level of M1 students in

Unix command-line
R programming
Python programming

Students will work at their own level, with the simple objective to improve their skills and be prepared for the real-world research environnement in biology labs. It is often when immersed in a lab during internships that students realise that they lack the necessary coding skills in Unix or a programming langage such as R or Python. That's why this teaching unit is to be taken in autonomy, at your own pace, and anytime during the year.

This teaching unit is to be done on Moodle. A teaching assistant will accompany this teaching unit by answering questions on the Moodle forum.

All Master 1 students are highly encouraged to improve their coding skills.

Assessment

This teaching unit can be done without assessment (0 ECTS), simply to have access to the course material. For students wishing to validate the teaching unit, 3 ECTS will be granted after remote evaluation, assessing the improvement of the skills. Evaluation must be taken before 1st June to count for your M1 year.

Course material

See Moodle

Inscription à une UE isolée

Renaud de Rosa — 2018-12-17T14:46:46Z

- Master 1 IMaLiS

Soft skills : what young scientists need to know

Anne Zalmanski — 2016-07-08T08:59:26Z

Master in Life Sciences, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-033 - Soft skills : what young scientists need to know

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 planning—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from September 22nd 2025 to December 8th 2025
Hours : 1pm-2pm (Mondays)

Coordination

Andrea Dumoulin

Credits

0 ECTS

Course objectives and description

This original course, in the form of tutorials, workshops and discussions, aims to help students gain core knowledge and skills on the general topic of research world, which are often not covered in the disciplinary courses. Although not compulsory within the masters curriculum, we estimate that it is crucial that students become familiar with all the subjects covered by this course.

Sessions cover different topics :

regarding internships, it covers how to search for a host lab, write a CV and a cover letter, and how to prepare for the written report and oral presentation to validate the second semester
the organisation of academic research in France and abroad
career prospects after the Master and ENS
ethics in the era of social networks
scientific edition and publishing
generative AI and academics activities

Sessions will be held on Mondays 1-2 pm (see exact dates in the planning). Students are free to bring their lunch/coffee/tea during these sessions. All Master 1 students are strongly encouraged to attend.

Assessment

0 ECTS ; no assessment

Course material

See Moodle

S14 Molecular Cancer Genetics (cours Pasteur/Curie/ENS)

Anne Zalmanski — 2016-06-30T10:51:48Z

Master in Life Sciences, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

Molecular Cancer Genetics

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 planning—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from September 10th 2025 to December 17th 2025
Hours : 2pm-5pm (Wednesdays)

Coordinators : Anahi MOLLA-HERMAN
Jean-Pierre Vartanian (Institut Pasteur)
Manuel Rodrigues (Institut Curie)

ECTS : 6

Maximum number of students : 24

Keywords :
Gene, oncogene, epigenetics, genetic mutations, genetic predisposition, genomic instability, chromosomal abnormalities, Ewing sarcoma, metastasis, acute leukaemia, next generation sequencing, biomarker development

Course objectives and description :
Several steps are necessary to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell. Most, if not all, of these include mutational change. Cancer is therefore a genetic disease at the cellular level.
Many of the "cancer genes" have important normal functions in the control of cell growth and development. The rapidly growing understanding of the genetics of cancer is leading in two directions : towards new approaches to treatment and prevention and towards a deeper insight into the central problems of cell biology.

The aim of the course is to provide students with expertise and an understanding of molecular cancer genetics, with a particular focus on mechanisms that induce genetic changes within tumours and the importance of critical genes (oncogenes, suppressor genes), as well as inherited predisposition to cancer. This course is organised through seminars and a practical bioinformatics course.

Assessment/evaluation :
A written exam focused on the first and second week and a practical course evaluation

Fundamental Immunology (cours Pasteur/ENS)

Anne Zalmanski — 2016-06-17T14:44:46Z

Biology Master, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-045 - Fundamental Immunology

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 program—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from January 1st 2026 to January 16th 2026 (2 weeks)

Coordinators :

François Huetz, (CR, Institut Pasteur Paris)
Jean-Pierre Levraud, (DR, Institut Pasteur Paris)

ECTS : 6

Maximum number of students : 20

Keywords :

Adaptive and Innate immunity, lymphocyte repertoire selection, diversity generation, antibody structure and generation, T-B cell collaboration, tolerance, auto-immunity and allergy.

Course objectives and description :

The general aim of this course is to provide a general overview of Immunology for a better understanding of normal immune responses to pathogens, principles of vaccination, as well as given Immune system pathologies such as autoimmune diseases and allergy. Along theoretical lectures, practical works will be organized to introduce the basic techniques used in Immunology, such as cell culture, cytometry, molecular biology and imaging, in two different animal models : mouse and zebrafish. Experimental work, as well as most lectures, will be held at Institut Pasteur. Finally, the students will be asked to analyse a set of articles organised around a chosen theme and to present orally a synthesis.

Assessment / evaluation :

Written exam, Oral presentation of articles, and Practical work report.

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

Online presentations will be available.

Developmental biology II

Achal RASTOGI — 2014-12-04T15:36:41Z

PSL Master in Life Sciences – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-034 Developmental Biology II

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 syllabus & program—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : 39 hours | from 9th September 2025 to 16th December 2025
Hours : 9 am– 12 pm (Tuesdays)

Coordination

Iris Salecker, PU, Département de Biologie, ENS (course organizer)

Credits

6 ECTS

Keywords

Course prerequisites

There are no specific requirements to attend this module. However, participants should bring plenty of curiosity and an inquisitive mind ! Some background in cell, molecular and developmental biology, as well as genetics is recommended.

Course objectives and description

How can we define developmental biology ? On one hand, it can be considered as the complex and dynamic process by which a single cell, the fertilized egg with one genome will give rise to hundreds of very different specialized cell types. These organize themselves and adopt specific forms within organs of the right size to finally give birth to an individual, impressively complex adult organism. But on the other hand, it is equally a process shaped over generations during evolution and in interaction with the environment, that led to the amazing diversity of living organisms. How this is achieved is a fascinating question. Moreover, discoveries in development biology are key to understanding diseases, including neurodevelopmental disorders and cancer, and thus have direct medical implications.

Aims : This module has the aim to introduce students to advanced concepts of developmental biology research. Leading scientists from diverse institutions in and close to Paris, Lyon and Heidelberg will provide introductions into the background of their respective research areas.
They will share insights about their exciting studies to give participants an impression of their own research as it happens at the bench.
They will cover the fundamental mechanisms orchestrating morphogenesis, the emergence of multicellularity, patterning, stem cell biology, cell fate specification, cell migration, apoptosis, organ formation, regeneration, evo/devo and plant development.

The course will explore the use of different model organisms, but also non-model organisms, essential to pinpointing general principles within apparent diversity. We will discuss recent state-of-the-art techniques, including Crispr/Cas9 genetic manipulations, that make it possible to find answers through the synthesis of knowledge obtained at different scales, by combining imaging, genetics and genomics and molecular biology approaches.

Finally, the course has the aim to convey the notion that Developmental biology is a very active discipline at the intersection of many other disciplines that continues to transform our thinking as advances in technology are opening unprecedented doors for future studies.

Format of module

Courses will be held primarily "en présentiel". Activities involve lectures, journal club presentations and discussions, as well travaux personnels à distance.

Assessment

Grades will be based on a « journal club » (i.e. presentation of an article followed by a discussion, 40%), a Crispr/Cas9 exercise (25%), a course question exercise (25%) and course participation (10%).

Course material

Pdf versions of Powerpoint presentations and material for course work will be provided and accessible online via Moodle.

S02 - Cell biology II : traffic, motility, biophysics (cours Pasteur/Curie/ENS)

Achal RASTOGI — 2014-12-04T15:36:39Z

—2025-2026 program—

Biology Master – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-035 (S02) Cell Biology II : traffic, mobility, biophysics

6 ECTS

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from September 10th 2025 to December 17th 2025
Hours : 9 am– 12 pm (Wednesdays)

Coordinator :

Olivier COLLIN, Philippe CHAVRIER, Arnaud ECHARD

ECTS : 6

Maximum number of students : 24

Keywords :

cytoskeleton, membrane traffic, adhesion, biophysics, nucleocytoplasmic transport, cell cycle, cell migration, cancer biology

Prerequisites for the course :

Cell biology I (L3/BSc) or basic notions in cell biology

Course objectives and description :

This cell biology course will cover major topics of cell biology such as membrane trafficking, cytoskeleton organization, cell polarity establishment, cell cycle control and division, cell adhesion and migration. These cellular functions will be described in the context of normal or cancer cells. The course will also cover innovative biophysical approaches to cell biology including cellular bio-mechanics or micro-rheology. The course will be composed of a series of 2 hours research seminars and will be taught by a number of leading cell biologists from various research institutions including Institut Curie, Institut Jacques Monod or Institut Pasteur.

Assessment / evaluation :

Research article critique

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

PowerPoint presentations of lectures will be available.

Microbial populations

Achal RASTOGI — 2014-12-04T15:36:34Z

Biology Master, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-047 (T102) - Microbial Populations

6 ECTS

—2025-2026 program to come—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : September 8th 2025 to December 15th 2025
Hours : 2pm-5pm (Mondays)

Coordinator : Eric Michel

ECTS : 6

Maximum number of students : 24

Keywords : microbiology, bio-films, environmental genomics, host-parasite interactions, antibiotics.

Prerequisites for the course : Curiosity and an open-mind are needed.

Course objectives and description : The purpose of this module is to discover some unknown aspects of microbiology, particularly bacteriology, to show the lifestyle of microorganisms and their ability to adapt to the environment.

Assessment / evaluation : It can vary, written examination or analysis of an article.

Suggested readings in relationship with the module content (textbook chapters, reviews, articles) :

– Traité d'écologie microbienne, édité par Jean-Claude Bertrand, Pierre Caumette, Philippe Lebaron, Robert Matheron et Philippe Normand aux Presses Universitaires de Pau. (http://www.presses-univ-pau.fr/cart/Details/101/4/sciences-humaines/ecologie-microbienne.html)

S05 - Evolutionary genetics

Achal RASTOGI — 2014-12-04T15:36:32Z

Biology Master, ENS – M1

2025-2026 - Semester 1

UNBIO1-037 (S05) - Evolutionary Genetics

6 ECTS

—Download 2025-2026 program—

Year and Semester : M1 | S1 
Duration : from September 10th 2025 to December 17th 2025
Hours : 2pm - 5pm (Wednesdays)

Coordinator :

Frédéric Austerlitz

ECTS :

Keywords :

population genetics, multifactorial genetics, evolutionary biology, coalescent theory, neutral evolution, adaptation.

Prerequisites for the course :

Basic population genetics (licence/BSc module).

Course objectives and description :

Based on the previously acquired knowledge in population genetics, the course aims at studying the factors that affect the genomic diversity of populations, and as a consequence the diversity of phenotypic traits. The fundamental concepts of evolutionary biology will also be presented.

Assessment / evaluation :

written exam

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

powerpoint presentations of the speakers.

ENS - Enseignement

Advanced Genetics

1. Short Description of Course

Keywords

2. Registration

3. Location and Timeline

4. Instructors and Contact Information

5. Course Communications

6. Course Prerequisites or Co-requisites

7. Course Format, Teaching Methods, Special Activities

8. Expected Learning Outcomes

9. Detailed Schedule and Content

10. Evaluation and Grading

11. Required or Suggested Resources

Open desk for coding skills

Coordination

Credits

Course objectives and description

Assessment

Course material

Inscription à une UE isolée

Soft skills : what young scientists need to know

Coordination

Credits

Course objectives and description

Assessment

Course material

S14 Molecular Cancer Genetics (cours Pasteur/Curie/ENS)

Fundamental Immunology (cours Pasteur/ENS)

Coordinators :

Keywords :

Course objectives and description :

Assessment / evaluation :

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

Suggested readings in relationship with the module content (textbook chapters, reviews, articles) :

Developmental biology II

Coordination

Credits

Keywords

Course prerequisites

Course objectives and description

Format of module

Assessment

Course material

Suggested readings in relation with the module content

S02 - Cell biology II : traffic, motility, biophysics (cours Pasteur/Curie/ENS)

Coordinator :

Keywords :

Prerequisites for the course :

Course objectives and description :

Assessment / evaluation :

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

Suggested readings in relationship with the module content (textbook chapters, reviews, articles) :

Microbial populations

S05 - Evolutionary genetics

Coordinator :

ECTS :

Keywords :

Prerequisites for the course :

Course objectives and description :

Assessment / evaluation :

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

Suggested readings in relationship with the module content (textbook chapters, reviews, articles) :