Molecular Biosciences and Informatics (MBI)

530 Bioinformatics Methods I (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Involves study of methods and tools for molecular bioinformatics, including Internet interfaces to biological databases, molecular modeling tools, pairwise sequence comparison methods, database similarity searches, multiple sequence alignment, and tools for phylogenetic analysis.

531 Bioinformatics Methods II (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI530 or permission of instructor. A continuation of MBI530. Involves study of methods and tools for molecular bioinformatics, including molecular modeling, nucleic acid structure prediction, protein structure and function, and gene discovery.

532 Bioinformatics Methods III (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI 530 or permission of instructor. Involves study of practical issues in data management for DNA sequencing and other bioinformatics projects, including preprocessing data generated by automatic sequencers, creating sequencing project databases, automatically assembling DNA sequences, and ensuring data quality control.

533 Biotechnology I (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. A laboratory intensive course introducing the theory and practice of modern biotechnology. Includes study of recombinant DNA, gene expression, and genetic analysis and associated methods. Laboratory exercises change to reflect the more recent advances in the field.

534 Biotechnology II (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI 533 or permission of instructor. A laboratory intensive course presenting the science and technology of DNA sequence determination and analysis. Lecture topics include DNA sequencing chemistry, biochemistry, and bioinformatics used in forensic, biomedical, and biotechnology applications.

535 Biotechnology III (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI 534 or permission of instructor. A laboratory intensive course covering applications of the Polymeras Chain Reaction (PCR) to problems in the theoretical and applied biosciences. Course focus is on current applications, procedures, and problems associated with the use of this versatile technology.

536 Biotechnology IV (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI 535 or permission of instructor. A laboratory intensive course that introduces the theory and practice of genome analysis, including the genetics, biochemistry, and tools for analysis of global gene expression, as well as the detection and quantification of genes and gene products.

537 Forensic DNA Science I (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI533 or permission of instructor. A laboratory intensive course that introduces the theory and practice of modern forensic DNA science, including the biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, statistics, instrumentation, software, and wetware required for applications of DNA science to forensics.

538 Forensic DNA Science II (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI537 or permission of instructor. An advanced laboratory intensive course that covers the science and technology of DNA polymorphism analysis, including nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Students receive extensive laboratory training in DNA polymorphism analysis on the PEBiosystem's 310 and 377 genetic analyzers.

539 Forensic DNA Science III (3:3:0). Prerequisite: MBI538 or permission of instructor. Provides advanced data analysis and interpretation. Covers in depth the theory, practice, and analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms for complex forensic and biomedical applications, with emphasis on examples from casework.