Research and Training Program in Human Genetics
Program in Human Genetics
Courses in Human Genetics
Faculty
Director, Center for Human Genetics
Aubrey Milunsky
Genes control the basis of all life, govern the development of all species, influence the response or susceptibility to all disease, affect the body's response to all environmental agents (e.g., drugs, microorganisms, toxins), and are causally related to, modulate or influence all the common diseases of man, and, when defective, cause a major disease burden for society.
The advent of the "New Genetics" has brought heretofore undreamt of horizons to science and medicine. Remarkable advances in genetics have affected diverse scientific fields including agriculture, farming, entomology, the pharmaceutical industry, engineering, computer science, informatics, and medicine. Human genetics is at the vortex of this ever-widening circle of discovery and spans all basic sciences and virtually all the clinical disciplines. Dramatic advances have already occurred through the Human Genome Project through which an escalating number of genes causing specific serious genetic diseases have already been cloned. Expectations are that the vast majority of defective genes causing serious genetic disease will have been cloned soon after the turn of the century. Over 3,500 specific monogenic diseases have been catalogued. As a consequence of these continuing advances, new precise DNA-based diagnostic methods have emerged and are in use in the Center for Human Genetics. Detection of gene carriers, presymptomatic or predictive diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis have all assumed key roles in the application of new knowledge in human genetics. Advances in genetic biotechnology will facilitate determination of genetic predisposition and susceptibility to disease and have already facilitated the development of gene therapy.
The interdisciplinary program in human genetics provides a wide ranging perspective on human genetic disease and the science and technology used to map and clone genes. As a prerequisite to understanding the molecular analysis of DNA, course selections focus on the development of a thorough understanding of molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, cytogenetics, immunogenetics, genetic epidemiology, pharmacogenetics, and somatic cell genetics. Thesis work in all these subject areas will equip successful candidates with knowledge, training, and experience suitable for major careers in medicine, science, industry, and government.
The interdisciplinary program in Human Genetics has been established
primarily for the graduate student who seeks a career presenting
diverse opportunities in academe, industry, or government in which
teaching, research, diagnostics, industrial production, and regulatory
affairs figure most prominently. This course of study prepares
students for careers in industry or, through postdoctoral programs,
in a whole range of specialties and opportunities within the vast
arena encompassed by human genetics. For example, the Center for
Human Genetics at the School of Medicine is accredited by the
American Board of Medical Genetics for postdoctoral training and
board certification for PhDs in human genetics in the specialties
of clinical genetics, clinical cytogenetics, and clinical molecular
genetics. These certifications lead to careers in academe, genetics
research, diagnostic laboratories, and industry.
Students in the Human Genetics program who enter with a bachelor's
degree may choose from new courses in human genetics. The intent
of these courses is to provide a firm foundation in molecular
biology, molecular genetics, and biostatistics.
The following are full-semester 4-credit courses required for
all candidates for the PhD in human genetics:
GMS HG 781 Introduction to Human Genetics
Clinton T. Baldwin PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
and Biochemistry
Lindsay A. Farrer PhD, Professor of Neurology
Roger V. Lebo PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Richard H. Meyers PhD, Professor of Neurology
Aubrey Milunsky MD, DSc, Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics,
Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Devaki N. Sadhu PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Herman E. Wyandt Jr. PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine
Published by Trustees of Boston University
11 March 1999
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Program in Human Genetics
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Courses in Human Genetics
GMS HG 881 Human
Genetics
GMS HG 850 Human Genetics Seminar (2 cr)
GMS HG
901, 902 Research in Human Genetics
ENG BE 565 Introduction
to Biochemical and Genetic EngineeringCourses
Prereq:
general biology, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular
genetics or the equivalent, and consent of instructor. The basic
principles and research methods of human genetics, including the
study of genes at the molecular, chromosomal, organismal, and
population levels. Emphasis is on classical genetic examples of
human disease. Applications of the technology in gene identification,
genetic testing, and forensic science are presented. Farrer. 1st
sem.
Prereq:
MED HG 781 or consent of the instructor. Explores strategies for
gene mapping, sequencing and cloning, and includes detailed consideration
of genetic and physical mapping, aspects of immunogenetics, and
the basic principles that underpin the development of gene therapy.
Key additional aspects covered include gene organization and expression,
genetic recombination, mutation, genotype and phenotype association,
cytogenetics, genetic epidemiology, advanced topics in human genetics,
forensic genetics, evolutionary genetics, the biochemical basis
of genetic disease, and the basics of DNA diagnostics. Amemiya,
Milunsky. 8 cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
Prereq:
(MED ME 781) Introduction to Human Genetics and consent of instructor.
Students are required to attend weekly seminars in human genetics
and to present two seminars in a semester. Staff. 2 cr.
Provides
students with opportunities to undertake independent or directed
research in subjects on human genetics approved by the appropriate
faculty member and program committee. 4 cr.
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Faculty
Chris T. Amemiya PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics,
Professor of Pediatrics
147 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
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