Code of Life – When Computer Science Meets Genetics

Welcome to the class: we are very excited that you are interested in learning more about the foundations of life. In this openHPI course, we will give an introduction about components of human cells and their functions. We dive into the cell core to explore the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), its structure, and how it stores the code of life. Furthermore, we will explore how to discover genetic variants and mutations and how to assess their impact on the cell functions and the whole human body. Ultimately, we will outline how individual genetic variants can be connected to complex diseases, such as cancer. Just two decades ago, all these tasks would have been impossible due to missing knowledge about the DNA and a lack of computational power. As a result, you will learn basic concepts about how to incorporate latest computer science aspects to explore the code of life interactively.