Bioinformatics

Offered By: University System of Maryland via edX

Course Description

Overview

Modern biology generates massive quantities of big data. Hidden in this data might be the next blockbuster cancer therapy, the definitive proof that a certain gene is responsible for a disease, or the information needed to replicate a crucial biological process — and you could be on the team that discovers it.

Bioinformatics blends biology, computer science and mathematics and in this Bioinformatics MicroMasters program you’ll gain the cutting edge knowledge and experience that will give you significant career advantage in this fascinating field.

In this program, you will learn how to analyze DNA sequences to find mutations and anomalies, understand the important role protein structure plays in protein function and use statistical analysis tools, including R programming, to mine biological big data.

This program is ideal for those who want to learn more about the bioinformatics field and its effects on society at large or who would like to incorporate bioinformatics principles and tools into their laboratories.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: DNA Sequences: Alignments and Analysis

Learn how to align and analyze DNA sequences using web and software based tools to find mutations and other anomalies in genes and genomic sequences.

Course 2: Proteins: Alignment, Analysis and Structure

Learn about proteins and the important role structure plays in their function as you learn how to analyze and align protein sequences.

Course 3: Statistical Analysis in Bioinformatics

Learn basic R programming to analyze biological big data to locate genes, perform simulations, and gauge the effect of specific markers.

Courses

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8 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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Gene sequences and the rest of the genome play an important role in determining how an organism functions normally and reacts when situations change. DNA sequences can also be used to determine relationships between organisms and form the underpinnings of the Tree of Life.

Since DNA sequences play such an important role in any organism it should not be surprising that any changes to a sequence could lead to alterations in behavior or response. For example, a small number of specific changes in DNA sequence have been shown to lead to tumor development in mammals or the production of enzymes with altered properties.

One of the jobs of a bioinformatician is to help determine where these changes are in a DNA sequence and sort out in that context what effects may result, which is usually done by aligning the sequences in question.

In this course, part of the Bioinformatics MicroMasters program, you will learn about the theory and algorithms behind DNA alignments, practice doing alignments manually, and then perform more complicated alignments using web and software based approaches.

This course is part of the Bioinformatics MicroMaster’s program from UMGC. Upon completion of the program and receipt of the verified MicroMaster’s certificate, learners may then transition into the full UMGC Master’s Program in Biotechnology with a specialization in Bioinformatics. See the MicroMasters program page for more information.
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8 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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Proteins play a very important role in all organisms. In fact, most of the work that happens inside every cell happens because a specific protein is employed for a specific task. Often the three-dimensional shape of a protein plays a major role in its function. As such, it is important to know the structure of all proteins to have an idea of what function they perform.

One of the jobs of a bioinformatician is to predict the three-dimensional structure of a protein using only the DNA sequence that encodes it as well as determining the effects of any mutations in the DNA on the three-dimensional structure/function.

In this course, part of the Bioinformatics MicroMasters program, you will learn about protein structure and its impact on function, practice aligning protein sequences to discover differences, and generate model structures of proteins using web and software-based approaches.

This course is part of the Bioinformatics MicroMaster’s program from UMGC. Upon completion of the program and receipt of the verified MicroMaster’s certificate, learners may then transition into the full UMGC Master’s Program in Biotechnology with a specialization in Bioinformatics without any application process or testing. See the MicroMasters program page for more.
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8 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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Improvements in modern biology have led to a rapid increase in sensitivity and measurability in experiments and have reached the point where it is often impossible for a scientist alone to sort through the large volume of data that is collected from just one experiment.

For example, individual data points collected from one gene expression study can easily number in the hundreds of thousands. These types of data sets are often referred to as ‘biological big data’ and require bioinformaticians to use statistical tools to gain meaningful information from them.

In this course, part of the Bioinformatics MicroMasters program, you will learn about the R language and environment and how to use it to perform statistical analyses on biological big datasets.

This course is part of the Bioinformatics MicroMaster’s program from UMGC. Upon completion of the program and receipt of the verified MicroMaster’s certificate, learners may then transition into the full UMGC Master’s Program in Biotechnology with a specialization in Bioinformatics without any application process or testing. See the MicroMasters program page for more.

Taught by

James Coker