Entry requirements

60 credits within the programme including Basic chemistry, Organic chemistry, Cell biology, Bioorganic chemistry and Structural bioinformatics.

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to communicate knowledge about function, structure and variation of bacterial and eukaryotic genomes, as well as methods (especially large-scale) to study this.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to

• describe the genome organisation in bacteria and eukaryotes at a general level
• describe how DNA-sequencing is carried out and account for some large-scale DNA-sequencing technologies
• account for methods in analysis of gene expression (including large-scale analysis)
• account for the importance of genetic polymorphism of phenotype and health, and account for methods (especially large-scale) to study this
• account for different levels of full genome studies and global analyses, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics (including large-scale analysis)
• handle large-scale experimental datasets and discuss critically how quality of data influences the results
• describe and evaluate how progress in research havs commercial and ethical consequences for society by the development of genomics, functional genomics and system biology

Content

The course discusses theories about the genomic structure of bacteria and eukaryotes, and how genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes and metabolomes behave and regulate each other. Furthermore are included theories on genome variation and their importance for phenotype variation and diseases. Modern large-scale methods for analyses in these fields are presented, including how large-scale platforms function logistically and how the quality of the processes is guaranteed. Among the technologies that are discussed, 'inter alia sequence' is included, as well as hybridisation technology for genome and transcriptome analysis (e.g., SOLiD, Sanger and Illumina sequencing, oligonucleotide arrays) and proteome analysis (for example "The human proteome project" and mass spectroscopy). Furthermore is discussed in which ways these technologies find and examine the importance of genome variation for diseases (e.g., genome wide association studies). During computer exercises, the students should organise and guarantee the quality of the data produced by large-scale analysis equipment. It is discussed how progress in research in this field has commercial and ethical consequences for society

Instruction

The course consists of lectures, seminars and computer exercises. Participation in seminars and laboratory sessions is compulsory.

Assessment

Written examination (3 credits), seminars and laboratory reports (2 credits).