Course Detail

Complex diseases such as cancers or degenerative diseases do not appear to have a single cause.  For example, mutations in a gene whose normal function is the correction of DNA base pairing mistakes are associated with a specific form of colon cancer.  Why colon cancer and not a cancer of any other organ?  There must be other reasons as to why such a specific form of cancer results.  Before the human genome was sequenced and powerful computational methods were developed, biologists sought to understand the workings of cells and organisms by examining their components in isolation.   Now, with the availability of high through-put technology and a detailed inventory of the components of living entities, biologists are able to focus on cells or organisms as whole systems whose components work together in a tightly coupled manner.  This new approach is beginning to yield secrets to the complexity of previously intractable diseases.  ALS 301 will provide a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of systems biology, and survey the frontier of post-genomic biomedical research as applied to complex diseases.

The course will focus on gene products (RNA, proteins) and on the organization, interaction and integration of systems within cells.  The impact of systems biology on the study of complex diseases will be presented in a discussion of selected journal articles.  Throughout the course, students will work in teams on projects concerned with the molecular mechanisms of complex diseases and approaches to therapeutic solutions.  Topics will include breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and prion diseases.  The projects will culminate with a written report and a 20-minute oral presentation by each team.

Introductory Computational Systems Biology
Protein Domains and Folding Problems
Protein Modification, Localization and Translocation
Introduction to Protein Interaction Networks
Signaling Mechanisms and Signaling Pathways
Programmed Cell Death
DNA Damage Repair and Cell Cycle Control
Impact of Systems Biology on Studying Complex Diseases
Cancer, Neurodegenerative Disorders and Autoimmune Diseases

Students will

• Develop an in-depth understanding of fundamental issues in structural and functional genomics
• Gain an understanding of interdisciplinary science at the root of biomedical discovery
• Become familiar with key concepts in pre-clinical discovery research
• Develop expertise in scouting for novel directions in biomedical sciences
• Develop of technical competence in understanding and critiquing original research materials in biomedical sciences

Quiz  5%
Exam  60%
Oral presentation   20%
Written project report  15%