Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics

Knowledge of genome structures from various organisms and the rapid development of technologies that exploit such information are having a big impact in biology, medicine and biotechnology. This subject describes the structure and expression of genomes in higher organisms and provides an understanding of the technologies used to analyse and manipulate genes. Students will learn how the modification of genes in cells and whole organisms can be used to discover gene function or to modify phenotype. The structure of eukaryotic chromosomes is presented to demonstrate how genetic material is replicated and how transcription of RNA is controlled. We illustrate how pathways that regulate RNA and protein are integrated to control cell metabolism and cell fate. The content will cover the bioinformatic techniques used to interpret and extend genomic information. The approaches of functional genomics to the study of specific human diseases will be discussed to illustrate the application of molecular biology to the study of human biology and health.

• 1Explain fundamental concepts in functional genomics, such as gene regulation, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and systems-level analyses of genome function.
• 2Apply bioinformatics tools and databases to analyse and interpret datasets such as genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic datasets.
• 3Apply a scripting language in the context of functional genomics.
• 4Critically evaluate functional genomics studies by interpreting experimental designs, data visualisations, and the biological relevance of findings.
• 5Devise experimental approaches for gene editing using technologies such as CRISPR.
• 6Discuss the role of multi-omics data in the context of gene regulatory networks, biological pathways, and cellular phenotypes.
• 7Describe how functional genomics can be applied to study human diseases.