BIO 352 - Genomes and Phenomes (4)

Despite significant scientific advances that make it relatively easy to sequence an organism’s entire genome, making sense of that information remains a difficult and complex task. Genomics, the study of how an organism’s genetic code is constructed and used by an organism, and phenomics, the study of how all of an organism’s functions depend on its genetic makeup and environment, are intimately linked fields. They encompass many sub disciplines such as bioinformatics, proteomics and metabolomics, statistical genetics, and systems biology. Brought together, these two fields have the potential to help scientists revolutionize human health and agriculture by enabling prediction of phenotypes from genotypes. Students in this course will: describe how genome sequences are determined using DNA sequencing and genetic mapping approaches; use comparative genomics to understand genome function and evolution; analyze genome expression at the transcript, protein, and metabolite levels to determine genome function; understand and apply statistical genetics approaches to find genome regions responsible for mediating a given phenotype; and reflect on the ethical implications of this research. Students will explore these areas as they apply to relevant problems in human health and agriculture using fundamental mathematical and genetics concepts in addition to new skills gained in database utilization and computation.

Prerequisite(s): Must have a C- or better in BIO 110 , BIO 111 , and BIO 112 or permission.
Offered spring term.

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