ÐÒÔË´óתÅÌ

Type of course

PhD course that is highly relevant for students working with topics related to antimicrobial resistance. This course is available as a singular course.

The course is organized by the Department of Medical Biology, Department of Pharmacy, and the Centre for New Anitbacterial Strategies (CANS) at ÐÒÔË´óתÅÌ The Arctic University of Norway.

PhD students and students at the Medical Student Research Program at ÐÒÔË´óתÅÌ - The Arctic University of Norway apply for admission by registering for class in Studentweb by September 1st.

Application deadline for other applicants is June 1st.. Application code is 9301.

Admission requirements

PhD students, students at a Student Research Programme or holders of a Norwegian master´s degree of five years or 3 + 2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted.

The course has a maximum capacity of 25 students.

Course content

The course will provide detailed insight and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. The objectives will include understanding of principles regarding antibiotic resistance, methods for detection of resistance, clinical breakpoints, resistance epidemiology, mechanisms for resistance development/evolution and spread, drivers behind development of antimicrobial resistance, clinically important resistance mechanisms in bacteria, One Health perspectives on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), concepts and challenges in drug discovery and alternative anti-infective strategies.

Students shall prepare individually by studying 15-20 selected peer reviewed scientific articles, which together account for about 100 000 words. These articles will be regular experimental studies and review articles covering the different aspects described above regarding antimicrobial resistance.

All students meet in a joint five-day gathering at the Faculty of Health Sciences, ÐÒÔË´óתÅÌ - The Arctic University of Norway, campus Tromsø, to attend lectures, laboratory demonstrations with related theoretical instructions and engage in group work and case discussions. Laboratory demonstrations include phenotypic methods to detect susceptibility to antimicrobial agent in bacteria. The students will also present and critically review one given article in a 20-minute (digital) lecture in the following weeks after the gathering at ÐÒÔË´óתÅÌ.

Objectives of the course

After completing the course the students will have the:

Knowledge to:

• Discuss the mode of action of major antibiotic classes
• Understand the basic principles in pheno- and genotypic methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing
• Consider the clinical consequences of antimicrobial resistance
• Discuss clinically important antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria
• Discuss mechanisms behind the spread of antimicrobial resistance
• Discuss the evolution of and drivers behind the development of antimicrobial resistance
• Discuss One Health perspectives on AMR
• Discuss concepts in drug discovery

Skills to:

• Justify which methods to be used for pheno- and genotypic detection of bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial agents
• Critically evaluate scientific papers to disseminate advanced knowledge of antimicrobial resistance
• Draw scientific conclusions and defend own research in scientific presentation

Competence to:

• Explain differences between the main genetic mechanisms in the spread of antimicrobial resistance
• Explain the rationale behind alternative anti-infective strategies

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods