FRS 001T —
Sec. 001 —
(1 unit) — CRN 35580 — R 5:10-6:00 PM — 25 Wellman
A Leisurely Look at Genomic Research Using
Microarrays
Instructor: Danh Nguyen, Department of Epidemiology & Preventive
Medicine, School of Medicine
Description: The transformation of biological investigations
from "genes" to "genomics" is an important change
in research
perspective. This involves a more global perspective on life processes. Thus,
many interesting recent investigations attempt to understand the role thousands
of genes or proteins simultaneously. This course will focus on global
gene expression
experiments using microarray technologies, a technique which allows
the measurement
of thousands of gene expressions simultaneous. We will take a "leisurely
look" at many interesting microarray gene expression studies of
various organisms
and biological processes. First, students will be introduced to the basics of
microarray technologies and gene expression. After the basics are introduced,
we will examine interesting case studies. The primary goal is to
familiarize student
with diverse examples of microarray gene expression experiments and
to understand
the goals of such experiments.
Format: The seminar will be one hour per week for ten weeks.
There will be two informal lectures to introduce the basics. Most of the time
will then be devoted to discussion of case studies. Reading
materials, including
article from scientific journals and popular magazines, will be provided. There
is no text for the course. Grading:
Preparation by reading
provided materials and participation in class discussions will be 40%
of the course
grade. Students will present, in teams, a hypothetical gene
expression experiment
on a topic or organism that they would like to investigate (35%). The remaining
25% of the grade will be based on a 1 to 2-page report of the basic concepts,
disadvantages, and advantages of micorarray gene expression experiments.
About the Instructor: Professor Nguyen is a faculty member in
the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in the School
of Medicine.
His primary interests, since 1999, center on analytical methods for microarray
gene expression data. His focus is on microarray gene expression experiments in
cancer and biomedical research.