Genetics and Modern Genetic Technologies
To introduce the key concepts of genetics and the advantages of modern genetic technologies. In addition, through the exercise of genome editing using cultured human cells, students can realize the power, simplicity of use, and potential risks of genome editing technologies. This course is intended for 1. Students who majored in biology or life science, and want to review the key concepts of genetics and learn modern genetic technologies. 2. Students who did not major in biology or life science, but are interested in genetics and its associated technologies.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Explain the fundamental principles of classical and molecular genetics, including Mendelian inheritance, chromosome theory, gene mapping, and gene expression.
Analyze genetic variation and population-level processes, such as selection, drift, and the genetics of complex traits.
Describe and evaluate modern genetic technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9, and their applications in gene editing, development, and disease research.
Perform basic genome editing experiments using CRISPR/Cas9 in cultured human cells, and interpret the outcomes of gene manipulation.
Discuss the ethical, social, and scientific implications of genetic technologies, including their potential risks and benefits.
Integrate genetic knowledge across biological scales, from molecular mechanisms to organismal traits and evolutionary processes.
A hands-on introduction to the key concepts of genetics and advances in modern genetic technologies. Learn about fundamental principles of genetics underpinning biologically inherited traits, from classical population genetics to modern molecular genetics. Investigate modern genetic technologies for sampling, analysing, and editing genes and experience gene manipulation in the laboratory using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in cultured cells. Discuss the various advantages, drawbacks, and ethics of particular gene-editing technologies.
1. Mendel’s principles of heredity and extensions to Mendel’s laws
2. The chromosome theory of inheritance
3. Linkage, recombination, and the mapping of genes on chromosomes
4. DNA structure, replication, and recombination
5. Anatomy and function of a gene: Dissection through mutation
6. Gene expression and analysis of genetic information
7. Chromosomal rearrangements and changes in chromosome number
8. Bacterial genetics and organellar inheritance
9. Gene regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
10. Manipulating the genomes of eukaryotes
11. The genetic analysis of development and cancer
12. Variation and selection in populations
13. The genetics of complex traits
14. Discussion: Future improvements and ethical issues of genetic technologies
15. Exercise: Genome editing of cultured human cells
Participation 20%, Examination 40%, and Presentation 40%
Genetics, From Genes to Genomes, Sixth edition, by Hartwell et al (2018), McGraw Hill Education
Essential Genetics and Genomics, Seventh edition, by Daniel L. Hartl (2020), Jones & Bartlett Learning.