[bioundgrd] FW: 7.346 Seminar: "Hunting for the Genes that Cause Brain Disorders and Aging"

[Crystal Boateng]

Please see the information below about the Advanced Undergraduate Seminar 7.346: "Hunting for the Genes that Cause Brain Disorders and Aging." This class is still open.
Thanks,
Crystal
---------------
Crystal Boateng (Pronouns: they/them/themselves)
Biology Education Office 68-120
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
31 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
ph: 617-252-1783 / f: 617-258-9329 / e: cboateng at mit.edu<mailto:cboateng at mit.edu>



From: Zara Herskovits <aherskov at mit.edu>

Biology 7.346  "Hunting for the Genes that Cause Brain Disorders and Aging"

Neurological diseases are one of the most important medical challenges facing society today.  One in four people will have an episode of major depression in their lifetimes, and almost half of people over 85 years old have Alzheimer's disease.   This course will walk through how the first genes for monogenic neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntington's disease, were discovered using classical approaches.  We will continue through current studies, from which the genetic architecture of complex diseases such as schizophrenia are just being uncovered.  We will discuss how an individual's risk of developing a disease can be assessed from small genetic changes in nucleotide sequence and on larger structural variations that affect entire regions of a chromosome.  We will read papers from the primary scinetific literature to understand how genetics is informing the treatment of patients with neurological disorders.  Genomic anlaysis has spurred the development of new treatment strategies, such as antisense oligonucleotide therapies for diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  This course will combine discussions of primary scientific literature with hands-on data analysis and small group presentations. We will take a field trip to a local pharmaceutical company to learn about how new treatments for these neurological conditions are being developed.



https://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/7/fa16/7.346/



IF YOU HAVE MISSED THE FIRST CLASS, BUT ARE STILL INTERESTED IN TAKING THIS COURSE,  PLEASE EMAIL THE INSTRUCTORS ( GLORIOSO at MIT.EDU <mailto:GLORIOSO at MIT.EDU> OR AHERSKOV at MIT.EDU <mailto:AHERSKOV at MIT.EDU> ) WITH YOUR PREFERENCES ABOUT MEETING DAY AND TIME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN. THANK YOU!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/bioundgrd/attachments/20160908/07f101e6/attachment.html