Course description
With breakthroughs in biotechnology such as high-throughput and inexpensive DNA sequencing, we are collecting vast amounts of data that will be analyzed for years to come. The details of this data reveal basic information such as gene and protein structures, and may lead us to major discoveries like gene-disease associations. This course teaches the bioinformatics skills used in academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical laboratories for analyzing individual DNA and protein sequences. This is not a programming course. Classes consist of lecture and extensive hands-on work using mainstream web-based bioinformatics tools. Students learn how to evaluate data sources and choose the correct paths to solutions. Throughout the semester, interesting biological questions are addressed by analyzing sequences, searching databases, using sophisticated software, and interpreting results. Upon completion of the course, students have extensive skills with sequence analysis tools and are prepared for their own laboratory projects or bioinformatics software creation.
