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Final state exams

N-BCT Biochemical and Cellular Technologies

Final State Exam – Spring 2026

  • Committee: assoc. prof. Farka (chair), prof. Gorris, assoc. prof. Lochman
  • FSE + Defense: Monday, June 8, 2026, starting at 14:00, room C05/107
    Diploma thesis reports must be submitted by Friday, May 29, 2026.
    Defence schedule
  • The Master’s final state examination in the Biochemical and Cellular Technologies program includes Thesis defense and two subjects: (1) Advanced biochemistry and its methods and (2) Cellular technologies.
  • The students will be required to demonstrate a deep understanding of the fields, utilizing the knowledge obtained in the compulsory courses.

Final state exam subject areas

Advanced biochemistry and its methods
  1. Amino acids, peptide bond, peptides, proteins. Composition, structure and function of proteins, primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary structure.
  2. Saccharides, glycosides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (starch, glycogen, chitin), heteropolysaccharides.
  3. Lipids, acylglycerols, phospholipids, sphingolipids, steroids, biomembranes and internal cell organization (structure and function of biomembranes, transport function of biomembranes, plasmatic membrane).
  4. Nucleic acids, nucleosides, nucleotides, DNA, RNA. Composition, structure and function of nucleic acids. Base pairing, double helix. Genetic information, gene, genetic code. Reading frames.
  5. Tools for nucleic acid analysis. Palindromes. Restrictases and restrictase on-line databases. PCR. Primer design.
  6. Thermodynamics in biochemistry, high-energy compounds, reaction kinetics, enzymes, their active site, prosthetic groups, coenzymes, mechanism of enzyme catalysis.
  7. Coenzymes and vitamins, nicotinamide and NAD, flavins, ATP, AMP, cAMP, biotin, thiamin, coenzyme A, lipoic acid, folic acid, pyridoxal phosphate, vitamin B12, metalloporphyrins, iron-sulfur proteins, vitamin C, lipophilic vitamins.
  8. Enzyme kinetics. Michaelis-Menten equation, Km, turnover number, enzyme activity.
  9. Anabolism, catabolism, their regulation, anaerobic glycolysis. Gluconeogenesis, synthesis of PEP, glycogenolysis, synthesis of glycogen, Cori cycle.
  10. Microbial pharmaceutical biotechnology: Pharmaceutical production. Selection of production systems. Optimization of fermentation. Separation and purification of intracellular and extracellular products. Drying of fermentation products and final processing. Finalization of obtained products. Biotransformation.
  11. Animal cell biotechnology: Animal cells and their characteristics. Potency and differentiation, Hayflick limit, immortalized cell lines, cultivation and differentiation. Use of animal cells for pharmaceutical production. Use of stem cells in drug screening and production. Animal cells and cell therapy.
  12. Plant and photosynthetic biotechnology: Methods for the development of GMO crops, their applications, and risks. Plant-based production of biotechnologically significant compounds. Evolution of photosynthesis and endosymbiosis. Structure of pigments and energy conversion mechanisms. Carbon dioxide fixation and genetic improvement of photosynthesis. Photosynthetic microorganisms and cultivation methods. Optimization of production and control of cultivation processes.
  13. Carbon nanotubes, semiconductor nanoparticles – quantum dots. Metal-based nanostructures – nanowires and bioelectronics. Gold nanostructures (nanoparticles, nanorods, nanocages, nanoshells). Magnetic nanoparticles. Photon-upconversion nanoparticles.
  14. Scanning probe microscopy techniques (STM, AFM, SNOM, SECM). Physical principles, basic and advanced measuring modes. Imaging of bioobjects – from atoms and molecules to cells and tissues. Combined techniques with inverted optical and fluorescence microscopes. Raman imaging. Biointeractions at the molecular level.
  15. Self-assembling techniques. Separation, characterization and modification of nanoparticles. Nanolithography and nanomanipulations. Nanoparticles for biological labeling and cellular imaging. Nanobioelectrochemistry, nanobiosensors, and nanobioanalytical systems. Microfluidics, cell sorting, and lab-on-a-chip. Biochips and sensing arrays, nanodeposition of biomolecules.
  16. Biological and medical applications of nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles. Nanostructures in drug discovery, delivery, and controlled release. Nanostructures in cancer research. Nanotechnology for tissue engineering and regenerative therapy.
  17. Immune system. Innate and adaptive immune system, lymphoid organs, B cells, clonal selection, generation of antibody diversity, affinity maturation, complement system, immunoglobulin superfamily and function of antibody classes IgG, IgM, IgD, IgA, IgE, antibody binding, affinity vs. avidity, antigen determinants, raising an immune response in laboratory animals, generation of monoclonal antibodies.
  18. Antibodies as immunological tools. Antibodies as immunochemical reagents, antibody engineering, monoclonal antibodies, antibody alternatives: recombinant, humanized, cameloid, heavy chain antibodies, phage display, aptamers (SELEX), molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs).
  19. Applications of immunoassays (diagnostic, environmental, food safety), labeling and signal amplification strategies (enzymes, fluorophores, nanoparticles, radionuclides, immune-PCR, chemiluminescence), matrix interference (medical, environmental samples) and non-specific binding, analytical parameters (sensitivity, limit of detection), competitive and non-competitive assays, heterogeneous and homogeneous immunoassays, RIA, ELISA, nanoparticle-based assays, fluorescence polarization, Förster resonance energy transfer, lateral flow assays, biosensors, microarrays, suspension arrays (magnetic beads), multiplexing, single-molecule immunoassays.
  20. Immunoaffinity techniques. Immune agglutination/precipitation, immune diffusion, immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation, analysis of protein-protein interactions, affinity chromatography.
Cellular technologies
  1. Storage and expression of genetic information: Definition of a gene and genetic information. Functions of genetic material. Chemical composition and structure of DNA and RNA. Organization of genomes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Principles of DNA replication, including key enzymes and replication mechanisms.
  2. Transcription, translation, and their regulation: Mechanisms of transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including promoters, RNA polymerases, and termination. Regulation via sigma factors, operons (lac operon), activators, and repressors. Eukaryotic regulation, including enhancers and epigenetics. Translation and its regulation at multiple levels.
  3. Cytoskeleton: Structure and function of cytoskeletal components: microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments. Their roles in cell shape, transport, and division. Nuclear and cortical cytoskeleton. Cytoskeleton in prokaryotes. Methods for visualization (e.g., fluorescence microscopy).
  4. Intracellular transport: Cell compartmentalization and protein trafficking. Protein folding (chaperones and chaperonins). Targeting and sorting of proteins to organelles. Vesicular transport, endocytosis and secretion. Roles of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus.
  5. Cell cycle: Phases of the cell cycle (G1, S, G2, M). Molecular regulation by cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases. Cell cycle checkpoints. Role of tumor suppressors, such as p53 and Rb. Experimental approaches to study the cell cycle.
  6. Cell division: Types of cell division, including binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. Chromosome structure and chromatin changes. Phases and functions of mitosis and meiosis. Cytokinesis in plant and animal cells.
  7. Cell pathology and stress response: Physiological vs pathological conditions. Types of stress (physical, chemical, biological). Cellular responses to stress. Types of cell death: apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis.
  8. DNA replication, repair, and in vitro DNA synthesis: Detailed mechanisms of DNA replication in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. DNA repair systems. In vitro DNA synthesis, including PCR and reverse transcription.
  9. Basic recombinant DNA technologies: Restriction enzymes, ligases, cloning vectors. Transformation methods. Construction of genomic and cDNA libraries. Principles of CRISPR genome editing.
  10. Recombinant protein production: Protein expression systems in bacteria, yeast, insect, and mammalian cells. Cloning strategies, codon usage optimization, protein folding, secretion, and post-translational modifications. Advantages and limitations of systems.
  11. Genomics and gene expression analysis: Gene mapping, genome organization, non-coding DNA. Advanced techniques, such as DNA microarrays and RNA-seq. Pharmacogenetics and metagenomics. Basic bioinformatics tools.
  12. RNA-based technologies: Types and functions of RNA, especially non-coding RNAs. RNA interference, antisense RNA and gene silencing. Ribozymes and their applications.
  13. Model organisms in biotechnology: Key model systems: bacteria, yeast, fungi, elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, mouse, Arabidopsis. Use of viruses (bacteriophages, retroviruses). Advantages and applications.
  14. Nucleic acid analysis techniques: Extraction, purification, and quantitation of nucleic acids. Gel electrophoresis (agarose and polyacrylamide). Basic laboratory workflows.
  15. PCR and quantitative PCR: Principles of PCR, factors affecting efficiency. Variants including RT-PCR, real-time PCR, and digital PCR. Detection methods (SYBR Green, TaqMan). Applications in diagnostics.
  16. DNA polymorphisms and molecular diagnostics: Types of DNA polymorphisms (SNPs, repeats). Restriction analysis (RFLP). Use in diagnostics, genetics, and forensic science.
  17. Cell signaling: First messengers (hormones, neurotransmitters), receptors (membrane and intracellular), ion channels. Second messengers and kinase cascades. Integration of signaling pathways.
  18. Immune system and immune signaling: Innate and adaptive immunity. Role of phagocytes, inflammation, and complement system. V(D)J recombination. Signaling pathways in immune responses.
  19. Infectious diseases and immunotechnology: Immune responses to pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites). Vaccine design and production, including DNA/RNA vaccines. Antigen identification and molecular diagnostics. Links to tumorigenesis (oncogenes, tumor suppressors).

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