This course provides an integrative and functional approach to plant and animal biology in an evolutionary context, emphasizing common attributes of whole organisms and their solutions to problems imposed by the physical environment. Topics to be covered include development and organization of body plans, gas exchange, transport and excretion, information processing, support and locomotion, and the acquisition of energy sources.


The aim of this course is to cover a basic overview of the molecular cell biology of eukaryotic cells: structure, function, and biosynthesis of cellular membranes and organelles; cell growth and oncogenic transformation; transport, receptors and cell signaling; the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and cell movements; chromatin structure and RNA synthesis.

An integrated introduction to the basic principles of molecular biology. Topics covered: the biochemistry and molecular biology of nucleic acids; the central dogma; DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis; mutation and repair; recombination and transposition; the genetic code; the turning on and off of genes; RNA, ribozymes and splicing.

Nucleic Acids: Structure and biosynthesis. Replication, transcription and translation. Amino Acids and Proteins: Peptide bond, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins. Techniques for protein purification and characterization. Hemoglobin: Structure, function and human genetic disease of hemoglobin chains. Molecular diagnostics of human genetic disease. Enzymes: kinetics of catalysis, regulation, co-enzymes. Sugars and polysaccharides. Lipids and biological membranes. Metabolism: Overview of thermodynamics, biological order and energy exchange. Krebs cycle. Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Lipid metabolism. Cholesterol metabolism.

Advanced research and diagnostic techniques of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry. Cytoskeleton: Structure, function, molecular physiology of muscle contraction and intracellular transport. Nervous system: generation and propagation of nerve impulse, neuromuscular junction, neurotransmitters. Signal transduction in intracellular communication, second messenger systems, G protein-coupled receptors. Hormones: molecular physiology of endocrine system, hormonal control pathways, metabolic disorders. Cancer and oncogenes: molecular physiology of carcinogenesis. Gene therapy: methodology and current applications. Prions and disease. Cloning: Plants, animals, humans.

Lectures and Laboratory work. Application of experimental techniques in, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology. Emphasizes integrating factual knowledge with understanding the design of experiments and data analysis to prepare the students for research projects. Development of skills critical for writing about scientific findings in modern biology. Instruction and practice in written communication provided.
Current techniques used in biomedical research. These may include radioisotope, bacteriological, genetic, biochemical, and molecular; use of scientific literature and presentation of experimental results; selected laboratory experiments and library research projects.

The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of major environmental problems by studying their biological basis and at the same time examines the applications of bioprocesses to environmental problems. Basic topics include ecosystem structure, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, population growth and regulation, and evolution. Applied topics include human population growth, agriculture and food production, pest control, conservation of forests and wildlife, preservation biological diversity, energy use, water and air pollution, ozone depletion and global warming. The principles of microbial sensing and adaptation to extreme environments, is discussed and expanded in the bioremediation of polluted environments and the recovery of important minerals and precious metals. Similarly, the application of microorganisms in other key environmental areas of biodeterioration, biomineralogy, biosensors, biofuels, biodegradable plastics, waste and water treatment and biocontrol are also discussed in this course.

A course that covers cell biology of neurons, electrical and biochemical signaling, motor control, sensation and perception, learning and memory, and anatomy of the brain and spinal cord. Additional topics include diseases of the nervous system.


This course provides an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Bioinformatics. The major goal is to demonstrate through Lectures and Laboratory work how Bioinformatics has revolutionized modern biological research.
Lectures will include: An Introduction/Overview to the field and the main ideas/methodologies currently in use. Biological Data and Databases. Introduction to amino acid and nucleotide sequence analysis. Sequence comparison and methods for pairwise and multiple sequence alignment. Heuristics for fast database search: goals and pitfalls. Introduction to Molecular Evolution and phylogenetic reconstruction based on molecular data. Substitution matrices for sequence comparison. Patterns, profiles, motifs and probabilistic models for family representation. Introduction to Gene structure and protein secondary structure prediction. Case study: prediction of transmembrane alpha helices. Advanced sequence database search techniques. Protein Structure Prediction.
Advanced topics: cDNA Microarray analysis for Gene-Expression profiling. Automatic Genome annotation. Large scale computational Genome analysis and Comparative genomics.
Practicals will include examples on state-of-the-art methods/tools related to the topics covered in the lectures as well as an introduction to computer programming with Perl for Biologists in LINUX environment.

Analysis of genes and genomes with emphasis on function, transmission, mutation, and evolution, with examples from animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi. The course discusses classical and current methods of gene and genome analysis, including genetic, molecular, quantitative, and bioinformatic approaches.
Note: Lectures and weekly laboratory/discussion section A comprehensive survey of genetic mechanisms and methodologies, including classical genetics, recombination analysis in bacterial, fungi, and higher eukaryotes, molecular genetics and population and quantitative genetics.

Morphological, physiological, and molecular aspects of cellular and embryonic development of animals and plants. Introduction to vertebrate animal development: a cellular, molecular and embryological approach. The first part will include topics on early vertebrate embryogenesis (blastulation, gastrulation, and neurulation) with emphasis on model organisms such as fish, frogs, chickens and mice and their relevance
to humans. The second part will include introduction to experimental embryological methodologies for the elucidation of developmental mechanisms. The last part will be about selected topics in mammalian organogenesis (mice and humans).

The course is designed to introduce fundamental principles and current trends in the field of Microbiology. This is accomplished by providing basic information in the form of lectures and demonstrations, and to present students with a view of the overall scope of microbiology that will help them appreciate the amazing microbial world and the important roles these organisms play in human health, medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, food science, agriculture, biotechnology and in our lives. This course aims to illustrate core concepts of microbiology such as: microbial cell structure and function, metabolism, microbial genetics, and the role of microorganisms in molecular biology, human, plant and animal diseases, food and pharmaceutical industry, agriculture and other selected applied areas. It also will illustrate the role and manipulation of microorganisms in biotechnological applications. Introduction to the diverse lifestyles of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoan parasites, their importance in the biosphere, and their roles in human and animal diseases.


Introduction to the physiology, biochemistry, and development of plants and animals. This course examines how ‘whole animals’ work; explaining how vertebrate body systems interact, how coordination is achieved and how the physiology of plants and animals is related to their environment. Topics include how animals cope with extreme temperature and shortage of oxygen; gamete formation, conception, gestation, birth; the physiological basis of growth and the implications of body size for physiological processes and animal function; the structure and function of muscle, bone, joints and tendons; and their role in animal movement on land, in swimming and in flight,emphasis on the physiological basis for structural adaptations of plants in relation to environmental constraints and on mechanisms leading to developmental and physiological integration at the whole-plant level. Laboratory sessions provide an introduction to basic measurement techniques in plant physiology.

Practical training can be used to substitute two elective courses. Students who choose to take this course must ensure that they have a position in a laboratory in the department or at another institution prior to their enrolment. The proposed work will have to be approved by the individuals academic advisor in advance. Students who fail to secure a position in a lab or fail to come to an agreement with their academic advisor regarding the project are required to take two elective courses instead.

The thesis can be either carried out in a laboratory or be of a bibliographical nature. Students who choose to carry out their thesis in a laboratory need to secure a position in one of the available laboratories in consultation with their academic advisor. A bibliographical thesis is carried out under the supervision of the student’s academic advisor who is also responsible for the topic selection.



Departmental Electives Courses

This course covers basic macro-and micro-evolutionary analysis, with an emphasis on how to approach the study of evolution from a population perspective. Topics include phylogenetics and biogeography, natural and sexual selection, speciation, coevolution, life-history evolution, and principles of classification.

Relationships of organisms to their environment at the individual, population, and community level. Topics in pure and applied ecology including adaptations to physical environment, competition, concept of the niche, population dynamics, predator-prey interactions, herbivore effects, community ecology, ecosystem structure, stability and function, and resource management.

This course begins with a brief introduction to the physical, chemical, and geological processes that affect the major features of the ocean. Such topics may include plate tectonics, ocean circulation, tidal cycles and shoreline processes. This provides a general background for understanding the biology of marine organisms, preparing the way for discussion on the adaptations of animals and plants to a saltwater existence, the different kinds of marine habitats and the diversity, abundance and distribution of organisms associated with them, as well as selected examples of population and community ecology of marine ecosystems and their productivity. In addition, various aspects of applied ecology, which may include commercial fisheries, mariculture, and marine pollution, will be considered.

The course will focus on the causes of environmental pollution as well as the ways of monitoring pollution. Topics will include, Pollution assessment and analysis, Environmental Monitoring, Chemical processes in the air, water and soils, Data and environmental analysis, and problem solving, environmental carcinogens.

The course covers similar topics as BIO311 at a more advanced level and with a primary focus on behaviour. Topics include, the organization and function of the nervous system, and its role in behavior, the cell biology of neurons, electrical and biochemical signaling by neurons, mechanisms of sensation and perception, control of movement, learning and memory, language, motivation, and emotion.

A review of the behavior of animals under natural conditions, with emphasis on both mechanistic and evolutionary approaches. Topics include classical ethology; behavioral endocrinology; behavioral genetics; learning and memory; communication; orientation, migration and biological rhythms; optimization and evolutionary stable strategies; sexual selection; parental investment and mating systems; selfishness, altruism, and reciprocity; and sociality in vertebrates and invertebrates.

This course aims to present fundamental issues regarding the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of biologically active compounds, the study of their metabolism, the interpretation of their mode of action at the molecular level and the construction of structure-activity relationships. Introduction to Drug Design. Molecular Pharmacology.

This course covers the fundamental rules of behavior of cells in multicellular organisms and examines cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern cell growth, differentiation and survival in normal cells, as well as how this regulation is disrupted in cancer.

Lectures and laboratory work.
Lectures will include: An introduction to the principles governing protein 3D structure and fundamentals of DNA/RNA structure. Methods for Macromolecular Structure Determination, Structural Databases and Data Representation, Molecular Visualization. Analysis of protein 3D structures (quality assessment, superposition, comparison and alignment, secondary structure assignment, domain definition and classification, relation to function). Sequence to structure analysis (protein-protein interactions, protein-nucleic acid interactions, docking, ab-initio structure prediction, comparative modeling, fold recognition-threading). An overview of Structural Genomics.
Practicals will include examples on state-of-the-art methods/tools related to the topics covered in the lectures as well as advanced computer programming with Perl for Biologists in LINUX environment.

The characteristics of a cell or organism depend on more than just the sequence of bases in its DNA; they are also affected by the structure of chromatin. This demonstration introduces epigenetics, a phenomenon that underlies the differentiation of cells in a complex multicellular organism, and explains some heritable traits that are independent of DNA sequence.

An introduction to basic problems in developmental biology by direct experimentation. Both classical and modern molecular manipulations of developing embryos are performed to study cell specification, differentiation, organ formation, and embryonic induction. Various aspects of pattern formation are analyzed, including the establishment of polarity and body axes, making use of frogs, mice, and fish.

This lecture course is a study of embryology with emphasis on the fundamental developmental processes shared by vertebrate embryos. Topics include gametogenesis, fertilization, and development of the embryo from zygote through the differentiation of the neural tube. The second half of the course is devoted to the development of selected human organ systems including the nervous system, sense organs, and the cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, and urogenital systems.

During gastrulation cell and tissue movements on a massive scale create great complexity from a very simple starting point, resulting in highly diversified organisms with a precise three dimensional architecture. The mechanisms underlying these movements are important, because genetic mutations and environmental insults during gastrulation can lead to significant developmental deformities. This course takes an in depth look into the mechanisms of embryonic morphogenesis with special emphasis in the amphibian model systems traditionally used for the study of morphogenesis. Comparisons will be made to mammalian morphogenetic mechanisms and known pathways specifically involved in morphogenesis will be covered. Modern methods for the study of morphogenesis and the challenges facing the study of morphogenesis in mammals and amphibians will also be discussed. Students will go through a number of important papers in the field and will be expected to present these in class.

A comprehensive survey of molecular, genetic, and cellular aspects of the adaptive immune response. Topics include: cells and organs of the immune system, antigen-antibody reactions, immunoglobulin structure, immunoglobulin classes, organization and rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes, major histocompatibility complex (MHC), genes encoding MHC proteins and T-cell antigen-specific receptors, development and functions of B and T lymphocytes, complement, immunity to infectious diseases and tumors, hypersensitivity, immunodeficiencies, transplantation, autoimmunity, and evolution of immune response

The course will cover virus molecular classification and viral diseases together with methods for diagnosing and measuring viral infections. New advances in how viruses are discovered will be presented together with how this challenges classical ideas about proof of disease causation. Lectures will examine, how certain viruses cause cancer, and how retroviruses, particularly HIV cause diseases. Finally students will learn how viruses have been harnessed as workhorses in molecular medicine as gene therapy vectors and how new insights into host-pathogen biology can be gained through functional genomics.

Examines the comparative anatomical and physiological study of representatives from the various animal phyla, emphasizing the ways the common life problems of movement, digestion, circulation, respiration, regulation of body fluids, coordination of function, and reproduction are solved.

Water and dissolved materials are moving through special transport pathways: water from soil through roots, stems and leaves to the atmosphere and inorganic salts and organic molecules in many directions within the plant. Thousands of kinds of chemical reactions are underway in every living cell, transforming water, mineral salt, and gases from the environment into organized plant tissue and organs. From the moment of conception, when a new plant begins as a zygote until the plant's death, organized processes of development are enlarging the plant, increasing its complexity and initiating such qualitative changes in its growth as formation of flowers in the spring season and the loss of leaves in autumn. This course considers the fundamental biological principles as they apply to plants. Structure and function of the organs of representative plants will be considered.


These are introductory courses of general interest, which have been designed to cater to the needs of non biologists. The overall aim is to introduce students of other departments to the basic concepts of biology and reveal the importance of the modern biological sciences in every aspect of our life.

At a growing rate, issues of biological relevance are continuously tackling the people of the world. Ranging from personal to global level, these issues require that individuals have at least an elementary knowledge of basic biological trends in order to make informed decisions. This course will address the how and why basic research in the biological sciences is performed and provide a basic knowledge behind experimental design. The major goal of this course is to provide students from all fields with basic intellectual tools needed to approach these issues as they arise. The topics for presentation in this course are drawn from the subject matter of modern molecular biology, genetics and virology and will include the following: basic principles and methodology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genetics; molecular properties of the genetic material, its ability to replicate, to recombine, to mutate, and to dictate RNA and protein synthesis; genetic manipulations of in vitro genetics by recombinant DNA techniques; principles of molecular virology and human diseases. A secondary goal of this course is to present the information in such a manner that historical sequences and intellectual processes involved in the development of biological understanding are emphasized.
Because students from many different departments will be encouraged to take this course, there are no prerequisites. It is anticipated that capable students will rapidly acquire the limited amount of background material needed in the course.

BIO 002 - Integrative Biology Course
This course provides an integrative and functional approach to plant and animal biology in an evolutionary context, emphasizing common attributes of whole organisms and their solutions to problems imposed by the physical environment. Topics to be covered include development and organization of body plans, gas exchange, transport and excretion, information processing, support and locomotion, and the acquisition of energy sources.


This course provides an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Bioinformatics. The major goal is to demonstrate through Lectures and Laboratory work how Bioinformatics has revolutionized modern biological research.
Lectures will include: An Introduction/Overview to the field and the main ideas/methodologies currently in use. Biological Data and Databases. Introduction to amino acid and nucleotide sequence analysis. Sequence comparison and methods for pairwise and multiple sequence alignment. Heuristics for fast database search: goals and pitfalls. Introduction to Molecular Evolution and phylogenetic reconstruction based on molecular data. Substitution matrices for sequence comparison. Patterns, profiles, motifs and probabilistic models for family representation. Introduction to Gene structure and protein secondary structure prediction. Case study: prediction of transmembrane alpha helices. Advanced sequence database search techniques. Protein Structure Prediction.
Advanced topics: cDNA Microarray analysis for Gene-Expression profiling. Automatic Genome annotation. Large scale computational Genome analysis and Comparative genomics.
Practicals will include examples on state-of-the-art methods/tools related to the topics covered in the lectures.


ΒΙΟ 004 - Life before Birth

An introduction to the still mysterious process of how genes and cells bring about the remarkable transformation of the first-formed cell (the fertilized egg) into a human being. Key concepts on the genetic and cellular aspects of Modern Developmental Biology with emphasis on human embryos and the usefulness of embryos of other animals for understanding human embryogenesis.


BIO100 - Introduction to Human Genetics

The molecular basis of inheritance, the Genetic Code and major molecules and processes involved in the flow of genetic information, gross anatomy of the human genome, and basic principles of recombinant DNA technology. Basic laws of Mendelian inheritance and presentation of diseases with autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive and sex linked modes of inheritance. Examples of known inherited monogenic disorders such as Thalassaemia, Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Polycystic Kidney Disease, Huntington Chorea and Hemophilia, with special reference to Cyprus and Greece. Molecular genetic testing methodology is presented and ethical dilemmas arisen are discussed. Critical questions answered during this course are the following:
-Why is it useful to know basic principles of human genetics?
-Why do marriages among close relatives favor the birth of children with serious inherited conditions?
-Is cancer inherited?
-Why cloning cannot bring back our lost dearest person?
-What is known about the particulars of genetics in Cypriots?
-How did foreign occupants of Cyprus influence the Cypriot gene pool?
-Why do people inherit characteristics from ancestors not only 7 but…1007 generations back?