Genetic Applications Course

You will learn techniques used in genetic and genomics research, with coverage of genotyping, gene cloning, genome editing, engineering, and phenotyping and more.  It provides a comprehensive coverage of the rapidly developing field of genetic application.

 

What will you be able to do when you finish this course?
When you finish this course you will understand how the recent developments in genetics that could impact and improve agriculture, medicine, human health and food and crop production.

If you plan on working in any of these areas, this course will help you stay on top of any new developments, improve decision making and will also increase your knowledge of this area immensely.

 

What makes this course a great choice?
This course is ideal for anyone who would like to understand more about genetic applications and work towards professional development, studying in your own time, at your own pace, whilst being supported by your tutor along the way. 

 

Lessons covered in this course:

 

Lesson 1: Inheritance Patterns and Non-Mendelian Genetics
Mendelian genetics
Mendel’s law of inheritance
Non- Mendelian genetics and inheritance patterns
Multiple allele traits
Codominance
Incomplete dominance
Pleiotropy
Inheritance tools
Pedigree

 

Lesson 2: Genetic Foundations 
Nucleic acids
Structure of DNA
Genomic DNA
Genomic libraries
Complementary DNA
Generating cDNA libraries
Autosomal DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Structure of mRNA

Lesson 3: Genetic Technologies
ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)
Microarrays
Application of microarray
PCR (polymer chain reaction)
Gel Electrophoresis
Types of PCR
DNA sequencing technologies
Application of PCR and DNA sequencing technology
Bioinformatics 

 

Lesson 4: Complex Genetic Inheritance
Polygenic inheritance
Gene conversion
Epistasis
Cytoplasmic inheritance
Infectious Heredity
Mosaicism
Sex- linked inheritance

 

Lesson 5: Epigenetics
Introduction
Histone modification
DNA methylation
MicroRNA

 

Lesson 6: Genetic Modification (Genetic Engineering)
Introduction
Gene editing
Genetic Recombination
CRISPR-Cas9
Cloning
Mutagenesis
Horticultural application of mutagenesis

 

Lesson 7: Genome Editing and Ethical Considerations
Introduction
Somatic vs Germline gene editing
Ethical considerations

 

Lesson 8: Genomics and Crop Development
Introduction
Uses of genetic technology in agriculture
Genetically modified plants
Types of genetic modification
Benefits of GM crops
Examples of different GM crops

 

Lesson 9: Genomics and Livestock Development
Genomics in livestock
Heritability
Trait selection
Cloning
Transgenic Animals
Other animal genomic programs

 

Lesson 10: Genomics and Human Health

Course Aims

 

• Review the basics of Mendelian genetics. Explain several non-Mendelian inheritance patterns and how they affect inheritance in plants and animals.
• Explain the basic structure of DNA and mRNA and common methods laboratory methods.
• Explain modern genetic technologies used to investigate DNA. 
• Explain more complex forms of genetic inheritance, including polygenic inheritance, gene conversion, infectious heredity, and epistasis and how they affect plants, and in some cases, human health.
• Explain the basic concepts of epigenetics and discuss applications for epigenetics. 
• To explain genetic modification and highlight the methods by which this can be achieved.
• To discuss the ethical consideration of gene editing.
• To explain the use of genomics in crops.
• To explain the applications of genomics in animals.
• To explain the applications of genetic technologies in human health.