Systems Biology & Biobased Materials @UM
Are you considering enrolling for the master's programmes Systems Biology or Biobased Materials and you want to know what it is like? Since it's temporarily not possible to visit in person or attend an open day, we've tried our best to give you an impression.
Welcome to our virtual tour!
Let's pretend everything is normal for a moment. What would you do? You would probably talk to students, have a look at our facilities and try to figure out what the lectures are like. You'd check in with our admissions officers and scope out some of the professors. However, everything is not normal right now. We feel the same. That's why we've tried our best to recreate those experiences and give you a virtual impression of what it’s like to study the master’s programmes Msc. Systems Biology and Msc. Biobased Materials.
This virtual tour is suitable for students considering one of the following programmes:
- Master's programme in Systems Biology
- Master's programme in Biobased Materials
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Education at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year
We are busily preparing for on-site education taking into account all COVID-19-related preventive measures, as well as developing online options for students who cannot yet come to Maastricht due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Want to know more? Follow our preparations via our blog pages: MSc Systems Biology and MSc Biobased Materials.
General programme information
Our master's programmes Systems Biology and Biobased Materials aim to prepare you to tackle the world’s challenges of today and tomorrow. Challenges regarding health, the environment and life as a whole. That’s why you'll want to pick up more skills than you can get from lectures alone. We therefore offer a unique curriculum based on project-centred learning, where you immediately apply what you have learned to real-life situations.
Our way of teaching: project-based and research-based learning.
As with many Maastricht University programmes, the master’s in Systems Biology and Biobased Materials are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). You will work in small groups of about 12 students on real-life topics and problems facing researchers. You conduct discussions, exchange knowledge and formulate your learning goals as a group. In addition to PBL, the programme employs Research-Based Learning (RBL). Students formulate their own research questions, make their own discoveries and develop (technical) solutions, rather than solely learning about existing theories, systems and methods. You’ll work on contemporary research topics as part of your studies. In addition, practical skills training is incorporated into the courses.
"Our master programmes Systems Biology and Biobased Materials aim to prepare you to tackle the world’s challenges of today and tomorrow"
Choose your programme
MSc Systems Biology
Courses & curriculum
Systems Biology combines life sciences with mathematics. Because a life scientist may have a limited mathematical background and vice versa a mathematician little knowledge of the life sciences, you’ll focus on creating a common base during the first courses. During the master's programme you will follow compulsory courses and electives and finish it with a master thesis.
Facilities
In order to be able to simulate complex biological systems, you’ll need both knowledge and skills. That’s why the master in Systems Biology lets you put your knowledge to practice on real-world problems at the state of the art facilities of the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology, MaCSBbio. The center brings together the expertise of physicians, biologists, mathematicians and computer scientists to achieve scientific breakthroughs that could not be achieved in individual labs. Check out the video below to see what it looks like!
About MaCSBio
Launched in 2015, the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio) aims to develop a set of computational and mathematical models, applicable in science and clinic, that will advance our understanding of biological systems, and predict progression and treatment of complex diseases over time.
Research
Research projects at MaCSBio focus on multi-scale modelling within two complementary research lines tackling areas that are highly relevant for society:
- Systems Medicine of Chronic Diseases - led by Prof. Ilja Arts
- Computational Biology of Neural and Genetic Systems - led by Prof. Elia Formisano
You can find more information about the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology here.
Events
Every year the MaCSBio Science Day event is hosted for both students and professionals in the field of systems biology. During this special day, MaCSBio presents current and future research as well as lectures given by prominent scientists on the latest developments in their respective areas of systems biology research. The next MaCSBio Science Days will take place from Monday 6 July to Friday 10 July. This year the event celebrates its fifth anniversary and has the theme: Celebrating five years of MaCSBio: Looking back, looking forward”.
Moreover, a series of lectures are organised throughout the year which strives to bring renowned national and international researchers in the field of Systems Biology and Personalized Medicine to Maastricht University.
What our students say
Rita Sarantidou, 1st year student MSc Systems Biology
"Being a student at UM, I got the chance to collaborate in an international environment not only with students but also professors with multidisciplinary backgrounds. At Systems Biology, we work in small groups of students which allows us to interact with each other more and help each other advance our skills. As a result of such small groups, we have the opportunity to get to know our professors better, who are more than happy to discuss with us any issues, give us informative tips and guide us throughout the academic years."
Maaike Gerritse, 1st year student MSc Systems Biology
The field of Systems Biology is growing and developing fast. Therefore, during the master Systems Biology you will mostly study by reading papers and discussing them with your classmates, rather than learning from textbooks. In these so-called "Journal Clubs" we can help each other understand the paper better. We all have a different background, ranging from knowledge engineering to pure biology, and therefore we all have a different outlook on the subject at hand. Working together and helping each other out is really a key part of this master's programme!
See for yourself what it's like to study Systems Biology at Maastricht University!
Deep learning-based prediction of molecular subtypes in human ovarian cancer
Deep learning-based prediction of molecular subtypes in human ovarian cancer
Project by: Georgia Liapi
Ovarian cancer (OV), a disease clinically characterized by complex histological and molecular features, is often difficult to fully diagnose. Early diagnosis is of great importance, as 70 % of OV patients are diagnosed late, with an advanced disease. During diagnosis, pathologists microscopically inspect Haematoxylin and Eosin stained images from a patient’s tumor tissue, to decide about the OV histological subtype, while in parallel complex molecular tests are performed in tumor samples of this patient.
Pathologists are able to recognise the five most common OV histological subtypes in histology images, but visually distinguishing the underlying molecular subtype from a given histology image of an OV patient is a very demanding task. Nowadays, OV histology image datasets are publicly available, with studies providing a label, either an OV histological or molecular subtype for each of these images. Previous studies have used Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in cancer-focused and image-based classification tasks, with promising results.
In the current study, six different pre-trained CNNs were retrained to classify OV histology images into five main OV histological subtypes. The CNNs with the best classification performances were trained again to classify images of a certain OV histological subtype (High - grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma) into four main molecular subtypes. ShuffleNet and Xception, achieved high Areas Under Receiver Operating Curves (AUROCs) , per subtype, in the histological subtyping, but encountered difficulties in the molecular subtyping, reflected by low AUROCs and by the number of misclassified patients . Deep learning - based OV molecular subtyping remains a challenge, demanding further image preprocessing, before re - training a CNN, to use it for substituting traditional molecular tests .
Assessing Outcomes and Risk Factors Of Atrial Fibrillation Through A Lifetime Population-Level Markov Model.
Assessing Outcomes and Risk Factors Of Atrial Fibrillation Through A Lifetime Population-Level Markov Model.
Project by: Cristian Barrios Espinosa
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by the abnormal electrical activity of the atria in the heart. It presents a major global health burden because it is one of the most common heart diseases that carries great economic and human cost. The development of new kinds of research in AF is very relevant since the treatments are still very inefficient. Computational and systems biology approaches are increasingly used to study AF.
These approaches include mechanistic studies (computational and experimental), usually at the molecular and cellular level, and clinical studies dealing with long-term patient outcomes. The former allows for understanding the pathophysiology of AF in a few seconds or minutes without focusing on the long-term effects on the patient. The latter unravels important clinical consequences of AF (e.g. increase of the risk of mortality and stroke) without considering the mechanisms that lead to these outcomes. My thesis aimed to bridge the gap between these two kinds of knowledge by developing a new type of patient-level Markov model, representing the transitions between different clinical states.
The model simulates a virtual population of patients over a 100-year lifetime period assessing clinical outcomes, risk factors, and mechanisms together. In the figure below there is a schematic representation of the model. In this model, the risk factors for AF that are considered are: age, sex, and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB); the only clinical outcome included is mortality; and the model simulates changes in electrical characteristics and structural properties (fibrosis) that play a central role in the mechanisms of AF.
The model was calibrated to reproduce real-world data with respect to the epidemiology of AF and SDB, and mortality in the general population and AF patients. Finally, the calibrated model was used to analyze the potential therapeutic effects of different types of risk-factor management for SDB. This was done by conducting ‘virtual clinical trials’ that would be challenging in the real world for economical or ethical reasons. Conclusion: We successfully developed a model that connects mechanistic and epidemiological research in AF and show how this model can be used to perform a ‘virtual clinical trial’ to generate new hypotheses that can be used to guide new clinical research and ultimately lead to better AF management.
Internship
Research Internship
Project: Raphael Stolpe
During my internship, I studied the behavioural aspect of biological systems. In computational neuroscience, a subfield of systems biology, neural phenomena underlying behaviour are studied. Neural phenomena represent computations necessary for a biological system to produce behaviour. Yet, computational modeling of neural phenomena does not account for functionality, i.e. meaningful interaction with an environment. Recent advances in deep reinforcement learning however opened up the possibility to generate complex, functional models capable of interacting fluently with an environment.
As a remaining caveat, deep learning models lag interpretability and do not account for neural phenomena. In my internship, I explored if dynamical systems theory, a mathematical field taught in the systems biology master, can be utilized to explain goal-oriented behaviour and pave the way to more biological realism. To that end, I applied the approach to a set of reinforcement learning problems including control of a simulated anthropomorphic hand. I found that point attractor networks and central pattern generators, special cases of dynamical systems previously described in the fields of dynamical neuroscience and robotics, are common behavioural strategies. The research during my internship was fascinating and sparked my interest to pursue a PhD in this exciting field.
Student research Systems Biology
During the programme you will put your knowledge to test in research projects. Giving you the opportunity to gain and develop valuable skills and competencies.
Check out some of our student research projects.
Talk to a student
There's no better way of getting to know the programme than talking to a current student. Since face-to-face meetings are not possible at the moment, we offer you the opportunity to plan a Skype call with a student of the programme of your interest.
Hit the green button and we'll happily set you up for a one-hour Skype call with one of the students.
Head directly to...
MSc Biobased Materials
Courses & curriculum
Systems Biology combines life sciences with mathematics. Because a life scientist may have a limited mathematical background and vice versa a mathematician little knowledge of the life sciences, you’ll focus on creating a common base during the first courses. During the master's programme you will follow compulsory courses and electives and finish it with a master thesis.
Facilities
As a Biobased Materials student you will conduct your studies, research and practical work at one of the most innovative chemical and materials communities in Europe. Namely, at the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) located at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus. It is in this environment you’re able to exchange ideas and benefit from the shared knowledge of companies and academia.
AMIBM offers a unique approach covering the entire biobased materials value chain, including raw materials (feedstock), polymers (materials) and the end products derived from them (applications) and sustainability evaluations over the whole value chain. Applications include biobased materials for medicine, environmental protection and industry applications
Research
The AMIBM conducts research on biobased materials in a so-called value chain approach, spanning new and modified high quality biological sources, new chemical building blocks, new polymer chemistry and polymer physics, polymer processing and innovative technical and medical textile applications. In all these areas, the AMIBM focuses on the sustainability of materials and processes from resource to application and recycling of materials. The focus of research lies on the following fields:
- Molecular and applied biotechnology
- Biobased polymers
- Polymer physics and technology
- Polymer engineering
- Biobased materials for medicine
- Sustainability of materials
What our students say
Michelle Gian, student MSc Biobased Materials
This program is not as large as other programs, however, this has advantages as you're in small classes and have good contact with your classmates and teachers. Moreover, the Biobased Materials programme gives you the tools to guide you to solve certain problems, for example, plastic pollution which is a hot topic! I'm very excited about this program and I would recommend this program to others!
See for yourself what it's like to study MSc Biobased Materials at Maastricht University!
Processing of tree-like structures via DLP using biocompatible-biodegradable resins for tissue regeneration
Processing of tree-like structures via DLP using biocompatible-biodegradable resins for tissue regeneration
Project by: Marianna Arreguín Campos
Vascularization of scaffolds remains a critical challenge in the field of tissue engineering, preventing scientists to develop solutions for larger anatomical defects. Hydrogels, such as PEGDA or GelMA represent important materials for scaffolds due to their mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Although DLP has been proposed as an efficient, low-cost and fast technique for manufacturing complex structures with very high resolution, tunable biocompatible resins are still required.
In this project, we combine different molecular weights of PEGDA to tailor on the one hand a variety of mechanical properties, which are an important requirement for materials that replace different types of native tissue, and on the other hand the swelling of the polymer which is another crucial parameter for vascular structures. This study demonstrates that it is possible to modify and potentially tune the mechanical properties of the hydrogels, as well as their swelling behavior, by combining varying ratios of different molecular weight PEGDA. The prepared PEGDA resin formulations proved to be easily printable with DLP at room temperature. The resin formulations were tested on a commercial printer and a custom-designed one, which proved to be the best choice for this research. Micrometer-sized structures of vascular scaffolds were obtained
Optimization of recombinant spider silk production in metabolically engineered tobacco
Optimization of recombinant spider silk production in metabolically engineered tobacco
Project by: Nika Sokolova
An exceptional combination of strength and elasticity, together with intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability, make spider silk a coveted material in various biomedical and technical applications. The inability to farm spiders on a large scale has triggered two decades worth of research into heterologous expression of both native and synthetic spider silk proteins, which are notoriously hard to produce due to the repetitive nature of the gene and large, aggregation-prone amino acid sequence.
Out of all potential expression hosts, plants exhibit several inherent advantages such as stable gene expression, intracellular targeting, organ-specific accumulation; they are relatively cheap, safe and easy to maintain. Currently, large-scale molecular farming of spider silk is hampered by low yields. Here, a metabolic engineering approach was developed to optimize the production of spider silk proteins in tobacco. The project involved the use of techniques from bioinformatics, molecular biology, genetic engineering, plant biotechnology, DoE (design of experiments) and statistical analysis.
Hybrid composite electrode for supercapacitor
Hybrid composite electrode for supercapacitor
Project by: Bernal Garcia Lascurain
Supercapacitors have been acknowledged to be substitutes for Lithium-Ion batteries since they display improvements in stability, faster charge-discharge periods, and a lower environmental impact. In this research work, a new hybrid composite electrode for supercapacitor was developed by combining Alkali Lignin with a Selectively Oxidized Graphene (SOG) into a nanocomposite.
Here, it’s demonstrated an excellent synergic effect between these materials through electrochemical measurements giving an areal capacitance of 7.65 mF cm-2 compared to 4.12 mF cm-2 from pure SOG both at 5 mV s-1. Then, a homemade device was fabricated using a free-standing self-healing hydrogel with Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose and SOG, showing a notable increase in frequency response due to a better ion-diffusion from its porous structure. Both devices showed outstanding stability after thousands of charge-discharge tests, which, in conjunction with the aforementioned results, make these materials a suitable green solution for energy storage.
Student Research Biobased Materials
During the programme you will put your knowledge to test in research projects. Giving you the opportunity to gain and develop valuable skills and competencies. Check out some of the student research projects in MSc Biobased Materials.
Life in Maastricht
Studying in Maastricht
With half of its students coming from abroad, the university has turned into an extraordinary melting pot of cultures, languages and nationalities.
Living in Maastricht
Is pleasant. The city is so compact that most people to go work or school on their bikes. Close to the historic inner city you will find lots of friendly residential areas.
Relaxing in Maastricht
Is easy. You can do sports with one of the numerous sports associations of the university or cycle into nature. Fancy a cultural activity or just a drink in a bar? There is always something to do in Maastricht.
A day in the life of a student
Curious what a day in the life of a student in Maastricht looks like? Check out a day in the life of student Brian in the video.
You can find more information about life in Maastricht here
Programme information bundles
Talk to a student
There's no better way of getting to know the programme than talking to a current student. Since face-to-face meetings are not possible at the moment, we offer you the opportunity to plan a Skype call with a student of the programme of your interest.
Hit the green button and we'll happily set you up for a one-hour Skype call with one of our students.
Get to know us
The small-scale nature of our education shows outside of the classroom as well. Professors, students and support staff all address each other on a first-name basis. In addition to teaching, we engage in research. These are not separated activities: as a student, you get up close and personal with ongoing research in the department.
To give you a sense of what goes on in our departments, have a look at our social media.
Admissions
Have you decided to apply for one of our programmes? Good news: none of them have a numerus fixus, which means you are automatically accepted into the programme if you meet the entry requirements.
Entry requirements MSc Biobased Materials
Entry requirements MSc Systems Biology
Pre-master's programme
If your bachelor's degree does not permit direct entry into our master's programmes, you may be eligible to follow a custom pre-master's programme. After successful completion you will be able to continue with one of our master’s programmes. Whether this is possible depends on the curriculum of your bachelor's degree. Our admissions office is happy to have a look at your options.
Contact the admissions office
Do you need help with your application? Don't hesitate to contact us!
Kim Müller
Admissions Office
MSc Systems Biology: sb-admissions@maastrichtuniversity.nl
MSc Biobased Materials: bbm-admissions@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Special rules and regulations for 2020-2021 applications
We understand that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may encounter difficulties during the application procedure. We are ready to help if you need us.
*Were you unable to apply before the deadline of June 1? You're still able to apply. Feel free to contact our admissions office and together we will look at the options.
Application deadlines 2020-2021*
MSc Systems Biology
MSc Biobased Materials:
• 1 June 2020 for EU/EEA students
• 1 May 2020 for non-EU/EEA students
