Spring 2023 Biology GU4777 section 001

From Curiosity to Cure Case Studies

Case Studies in Cool Bioc

Call Number 18084
Day & Time
Location
MW 9:25am-11:25am
601 Sherman Fairchild Life Sciences Building
Points 4
Grading Mode Standard
Approvals Required None
Instructor John Hunt - e-mail, homepage
Type SEMINAR
Method of Instruction In-Person
Course Description

Course overview: The goal of this course is to engage upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students in an immersive intellectual experience at the intersection of rigorous scientific inquiry and the history of innovation in molecular biology. The central theme will be curiosity and critical thinking as the twin drivers of both technological innovation and scientific discovery. The course will be divided into a series of modules focused on analysis and presentation of original research papers related to one important breakthrough in molecular biology that occurred during the past century. A prominent theme of the course will be the persistently unpredictable trajectory linking technical research and methodological developments to breakthrough science. Approximately six-to-eight original research papers will be covered in each module, spanning topics from the development of the methods that made the breakthrough possible through practical application of the resulting knowledge.

Three or four of the following breakthroughs will likely be covered in 2023:

  • Discovery and clinical application of insulin by Banting & Best.
  • Development of the Trikafta triple drug treatment for cystic fibrosis.
  • Development of CRISPR for human genetic engineering.
  • Genetics and pharmacological treatment of human hyperlipidemia.
  • Development of the Gleevec tyrosine kinase inhibitor to cure Ph+ leukemias.
  • Development of “next-generation” nucleic acid sequencing methods.
Web Site Vergil
Department Biological Sciences
Enrollment 6 students (32 max) as of 11:47PM Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Subject Biology
Number GU4777
Section 001
Division Interfaculty
Campus Morningside
Note Priority to undergrad seniors & juniors,then PhD candidates
Section key 20231BIOL4777W001