After completing the course you are able to:

• evaluate the most relevant forms of cell death involved in physiological and pathological processes
• explain in an accurate manner how the different types of cell deaths are regulated
• explain in an accurate manner the involvement of cell death in the proper functioning of the immune system
• explain in an accurate manner the involvement of cell death in avoiding the development of cancer
• explain in an accurate manner how viruses regulate cell death for their own benefit
• explain in an accurate manner the working mechanisms of drugs that regulate cell death

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that is meant to kill a cell clean and neatly. The process was neglected for a very long time, but its importance is now generally accepted. Apoptosis, and also other forms of cell death, play a crucial role in different aspects of life, such as embryonic development, tissue homeostasis and regulation of the immune response. Deregulation of cell death processes can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases, cancer, viral infections and many other diseases. The improved understanding of cell death processes has helped to develop new drugs to tread these kinds of diseases.

The course content is centered around the following themes:

• Molecular aspects of Apoptosis, Necrosis and Programmed Cell Death
• Induction of cell death under all kinds of stress conditions