[bioundgrd] Advanced Undergraduate Seminars Fall 2025 7.341 & 7.342

[Joshua Stone]

Hello,

Please see information below and attached regarding the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars for Fall 2025.
https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/

7.341 – Myo-making and Myo-breaking: How Muscles Develop and Change with Exercise, Aging, and Disease, and How CRISPR Gene-editing Can Be Harnessed to Treat Muscle Disorders

Why do different people excel at different sports? How do differences in genetics and lifestyle affect the development of different muscle groups and muscle fiber types?

Offered: Fall 2025
Tentative Time: Fridays, 2–4 PM
Instructor: Dr. Yichi (Tony) Zhang (Postdoctoral Fellow at Vander Heiden Lab, Koch Institute)
Recommended Prereqs: 7.03 or 7.05 (not required)
Open to: All majors and levels at MIT, Harvard, Wellesley
Course Type: Seminar / Journal Club
Cross-Registration Info: MIT Registrar Link<https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/registration-information/cross-registration>

Topics Covered:

  *   Muscle biology: development, structure, function, and adaptation
  *   Genetics vs. lifestyle: how they affect muscle groups and fiber types
  *   CRISPR gene-editing: potential for therapeutic applications
  *   Diseases: muscular dystrophies and age-related muscle decline
  *   Therapeutic design: delivery, specificity, and gene regulation

What You’ll Gain:

  *   Critical reading of primary scientific literature
  *   Skills in:

     *   Interpreting experimental data
     *   Designing rigorous experiments with proper controls
     *   Scientific writing and oral presentation
     *   Critiquing scientific findings and reasoning

Special Feature:
Guided tour of Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Led by Dr. Yi-li Min, senior scientist working on CRISPR gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, including Q&A with students.

*****
Fall 2025 Course Offering: The Biology of Regeneration (7.342):

We are excited to announce that this fall, we will be offering 7.342: The Biology of Regeneration from Wound-Healing to Whole-Organism: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental, and Evolutionary Principles and Their Biomedical Applications.

Why can some organisms regrow complex body parts while others cannot? How do regenerative processes compare to embryonic development, and how can insights from nature inspire biomedical advances?

This course explores the molecular, cellular, and developmental principles of regeneration, spanning from wound closure to whole-organism regrowth. We will discuss diverse models, including planarians, axolotls, fish, mollusks, plants, and mammals, as well as current translational approaches in regenerative medicine.

Students will learn to critically analyze scientific papers, engage in discussion-based learning, and gain exposure to cutting-edge methods in regenerative biology.

The course will also include unique opportunities such as:
• A field trip to a biotechnology company (Elevate Bio)
• A laboratory visit to observe and work with regenerative species in the Reddien Lab at the Whitehead Institute

All backgrounds are welcome. If you are interested in joining, please register through the MIT course system. For questions, feel free to reach out to us directly.

We look forward to an engaging semester exploring the frontiers of regeneration!

Instructors: Luiza Saad, PhD (lsaad at wi.mit.edu<mailto:lsaad at wi.mit.edu>) & Kutay Deniz Atabay, PhD (kdatabay at mit.edu<mailto:kdatabay at mit.edu>), Whitehead Institute
Schedule: Thursdays, 11 am – 1 pm (final day/time will be adjusted based on student availability)


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