Human and Medical Genetics

Genetics permeates all aspects of modern life, and modern genetic technologies are being developed at an unprecedented rate with impacts on our understanding of human biology and implications for medicine. This subject will expose students to a deeper understanding of human genetics including the origins of human genomes, rapidly advancing technologies to study and understand genomes, and how this can be used for understanding and improving human health, as well as the overarching ethical considerations. This subject focuses on several key areas in contemporary human genetics: the contributions mutation and natural selection make to human populations; the genetic basis of non-communicable diseases; strategies (technologies) for identifying the genetic basis of human disease; genetics of cancer and ageing; genetic counselling and gene by environment interactions.

• 1Demonstrate an understanding of how traits emerge from multiple interacting mechanisms at the cellular, tissue, and organismal levels (and are influenced by the environment);
• 2Contrast the different approaches used to understand the genetic contribution to human traits and the impact of the limitations of these approaches;
• 3Critically evaluate and debate the ethical and social implications of human genetics today, including the impact of developing technologies;
• 4Apply their knowledge to the real world and contribute to public discourse as a genetically literate member of society; and
• 5Effectively communicate human genetic concepts to a broad audience.