Curriculum

An Introduction To Molecular Genetics And Microbiology

MGY200 provides an introduction to genetics with an emphasis on the process by which scientific discoveries are made.  Many fundamental concepts are taught from a historical point of view to teach both the concept and the thought, imagination, and ingenuity essential to scientific discovery—the course transitions into the modern era of genetics and its ultimate impact on human health.  Lectures will walk students through topical biological problems and the cutting-edge approaches used to better understand biology and tackle threats to our health.  We will take examples from the world-class labs of Toronto-area scientists to illustrate the current state-of-the-art.  Some of the topics to be discussed include combating HIV, emerging and recurring microbial threats, the biology of cancer, the power of stem cells, distinguishing features of the human species, using CRISPR and other tools to engineer genes and genomes, and the search for the fountain of youth, among other topics.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Mikko Taipale

SYLLABUS

This course provides an introduction to the cutting-edge field of medical genetics. Learn how discoveries in medical genetics have revolutionized the way we think about, and treat genetic disease.

You will gain a foundation in human genetics and an understanding of the mechanisms causing human diseases like cancer. This course will inform you of how we are beginning to understand the complex basis of many human diseases, the innovative ways people with genetic disorders are now being treated, and some associated ethical issues. You will discover how complicated genetic information is communicated to patients and families with the help of genetic counsellors. Finally, this course will touch on opportunities for medical genetics to improve healthcare outside of Canada.

The course material is delivered online and is approximately equivalent to 36 lecture hours. Students will take the final exam on campus or at a pre-approved site off-campus.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Jessica Hill

SYLLABUS

An online introductory survey course that explores the agents of infectious disease, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, as well as the host immune response. Other topics include the fundamentals of disease diagnosis and epidemiology. The course will use web-based lectures and tutorials and utilize a range of communication tools equivalent to approximately three lectures per week.

The final exam will require student attendance on the St. George campus.  In some circumstances, students can arrange to take the final exam at a pre-approved off-campus exam facility.  This can be an option for students who, for example, wish to take this course while doing a semester abroad.

You can also visit: http://www.onlinemicrobiologycourse.com to view a sample video and get more information about the course.

SYLLABUS

Course Coordinator: Dr. Jessica Hill

This course is for second-year specialists to engage in a one-semester research project in a laboratory within the Department of Molecular Genetics.

Students must be in their second year and registered as a specialist in molecular genetics and microbiology.

The department arranges laboratory assignments in consultation with both the student and the supervisor. Specialists accepted to the program will be contacted in September of their second year to start the process of finding a suitable laboratory for research beginning in January. The course will involve a weekly seminar/group meeting, and students will present their research project at the end of the year as part of their final mark.

Course Coordinators: Dr. William Navarre and Dr. Jessica Hill

Credit course for supervised participation in a faculty research project.

Detailed information is provided by the Faculty of Arts & Science at the link below.

Research Opportunity Program

The purpose of this course is to show you how science is done in molecular biology. The course will emphasize how we come to know something rather than just what we know. Subject material includes DNA replication, DNA repair and mutation, recombination, transcription, RNA processing, the genetic code and tRNA, translation, regulation of gene expression and functional genomics.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Rick Collins

COURSE OUTLINE

Genetics is an experimental science. MGY314H is a laboratory course in prokaryotic (bacterial) and eukaryotic (yeast) genetics; you will perform several experiments over the 12-week period. Students will work in teams of 2 (sometimes 3) to carry out a variety of crosses, mutant hunts, and phenotypic characterization in bacteria, phage, and yeast, and learn to analyze and interpret the genetic data that you obtain.  During this course, you will generate mutants, deduce gene function from phenotypic analysis, identify genetic suppressors, characterize mutant alleles (dominant or recessive), perform meiotic segregation analysis, order genes in a genetic pathway (epistasis analysis) and generate genetic interaction profiles.  Most of your time will be in the lab, with some tutorials and pre-lab lectures to discuss experimental results and to supplement your understanding of genetics. 

The emphasis in MGY314H is to learn the fundamental concepts of genetics:  mutation, complementation, recombination, genetic suppression and regulation (epistasis)--notably, how to apply the tools of genetic analysis and how to interpret them. The models we use are Escherichia coli, the best studied gram-negative bacterial species that reproduce asexually, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (also known as baker's or brewer's yeast), the best characterized eukaryotic model that reproduces through both asexual (mitotic) and sexual (meiotic) cycles. E.coli and budding yeasts are often the models of choice in the study of more harmful bacterial/fungal species because many principles of their biology are generally applicable, and both have contributed much to our understanding of the core principles of inheritance and genetic interaction. Finally, both organisms are broadly used as workhorses for molecular biology (cloning, expression, genetic interactions), and much of the original genetics defined in E. coli and budding yeast has led to important tools for diagnosis and scientific research.

course outline

Department-based Ancillary Fees: (subject to change) $25.00 - Laboratory equipment and materials

Textbook:  none required, but keep hold of your genetics notes from HMB265 and MGY340.  An on-line lab manual will be made available to students through Quercus

Course Coordinator: Dr. Bri Lavoie 

Laboratory experiments in eukaryotic genetics, using two of the most powerful eukaryotic model systems, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The course follows MGY314H1; topics include analysis of genetic networks and pathways, meiotic segregation analysis, recombination mapping, genetic crosses, and phenotypic analyses.

Department-based Ancillary Fees: (subject to change): $25.00 - Laboratory equipment and materials

COURSE OUTLINE

Course Coordinator: Dr. Thomas Hurd

This course gives students an in-depth understanding of how genetics, the study of mutations and their resulting phenotypes, are used to probe and understand a variety of biological phenomena ranging from metabolism to development, to cancer.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Andrew Spence

The concepts of genetics in the context of human development, disease and evolution. Topics include genetic interactions and complex traits, variation in disease phenotype, signalling and development, stem cells and epigenetic regulation.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Brent Derry

COURSE OUTLINE

The principles and practice of whole-genome sequencing.  Each student will sequence an entire eukaryotic genome and analyze it. Topics will include: modern sequencing technologies, yeast husbandry, genomic library construction and quality control, 'next-generation' sequencing and its applications, sequence assembly, mutation detection and interpretation.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Atina Cote

This course is designed to give students with no prior experience in microbiology a fundamental understanding of central concepts in the field, focusing on bacteria.  Microbes are the most abundant life form on the planet.  They represent both a potent medical threat and our best avenue to solving many of the most pressing challenges, including sustainable energy production, bioremediation and production of recombinant pharmaceuticals.  A solid understanding of fundamental microbiology is an excellent foundation for future studies in biomedical research, medicine, dentistry, public health, and biomedical, environmental, and industrial engineering.

Particular Concepts And Questions We Will Focus On Include:

BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND STRUCTURE. 

Bacteria are simple cells, but they have very intricate subcellular architecture.  They can also be capable of metabolic tricks that "higher" organisms cannot perform, including utilizing a large number of compounds as energy sources.  Students will gain a solid basic understanding of bacterial architecture and metabolism.

THE HUMAN "MICROBIOME"

In a person, bacterial cells outnumber human cells by a factor of ten. These bacteria play critical roles in our health but only with recent advances in genome sequencing technology have we explored what these bacteria are doing for us.  Several recent studies indicate that our natural bacterial flora plays significant roles in causing or protecting us from obesity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmunity, allergy, and inflammatory bowel disease.

BACTERIAL GENETICS, GENOMICS, AND EVOLUTION.

The first genomes sequenced were from microbes, and the study of microbial genomics continues to drive fundamental concepts in bioinformatics and genome analysis.  Students will gain a basic understanding of how microbial genomes are sequenced, analyzed and how our knowledge of bacterial genomes has revolutionized our understanding of everything from the impact microbes have on the environment to how they cause disease.

HOW BACTERIA CAUSE DISEASE.

The vast majority of bacterial species are harmless. However, the causes of tuberculosis, dysentery, cholera, diphtheria, and plague are bacterial.  We will explore exactly how these bacteria cause disease and what makes pathogens different from most other bacteria.

THE EMERGENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE.

The gains medical science has made in controlling infectious disease over the past few decades are rapidly being reversed by the emergence of strains resistant to most or all antibiotics.  We will cover what an antibiotic is, how they work, and the details of how bacteria evolve resistance.

MICROBIOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES.

The study of microbes, including E. coli and its phages, is the founding basis for molecular biology.  Throughout the course, we will introduce the techniques scientists have developed to study microbes and their genes.

Course Coordinators: Dr. Alan Davidson and Dr. William Navarre