Genomics and Bioinformatics
The genome of an organism is the set of genetic information that defines it. Modern sequencing technologies have made the determination of genome sequences common-place and we are now in the process of defining the genomes of most living organisms. The analyses of genomes, and biological sequences in general, requires computational methods that are provided from the field of bioinformatics.
Bioinformatics provides methods that apply to any field of biology that generates large quantities of data; and as with genomes, new technologies are rapidly increasing the rate of data accumulation. This means that the ability to use large data sets, whether they be sequences or other forms of data, is becoming essential in many fields of biological research.
Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of science building on genetics, molecular biology and evolutionary biology to study the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes and DNA sequences.
Bioinformatics defines the application of informatics, computer science, statistics and mathematics in the study of biological problems. Major research topics in bioinformatics are linked to the modelling of evolution, alignment of gene sequences, the assembly of genomes, predictions of protein structure and interactions, as well as predicting gene expression.
The subject is reserved for students of the following study programmes:
• Biology, Bachelor's Programme
Upon successful completion of the course the student should:
Knowledge:
- Have broad knowledge of topics, theories, processes, tools and methods used in genomics and bioinformatics.
- Have specific knowledge of a selected set of algorithms (eg. Needleman-Wunsch and Smith-Waterman).
- Have a basic understanding of how bioinformatic tools can be built to address questions in genetics, molecular biology and evolutionary biology.
- Have a basic understanding of the special statistical considerations required for genomics analyses and how p-values can be derived from arbitrary distributions.
Skills
- Be able to explain aspects in genomics and bioinformatics at a basic level
- Be able to explain the most important theories associated with the analyses of genomic data and how biological information is encoded and interpreted within the genome.
- Be able to encode logic flows and implement analyses in computer programs.
- Be able to obtain, manipulate and analyse data programatically.
General competence
- Be able to exchange views and experiences with other biologists and contribute to the development of good practice
- Develop understanding of modern scientific research in genomics and bioinformatics.
Compound evaluation, grading scale Letter grades
- Coursework - presentation and practical exercises, comprises 0/100 of the grade, grading scale Approved/Not approved.
- Paper, comprises 30/100 of the grade, grading scale Letter grades.
- Written exam, 4 hours, comprises 70/100 of the grade, grading scale Letter grades.
Laptop, pencil, pen, ruler, simple calculator and bilingual dictionaries. No use of internet except Canvas.
Generating an answer using ChatGPT or similar artificial intelligence and submitting it wholly or partially as one's own answer is considered cheating.
Prior knowledge equivalent to
BI122F Genetics and evolution
BI132F Biochemistry and Cell Biology
MA116F Mathematics/statistics for biologists
KJ104F General Chemistry and environmental chemistry
(or equivalent)
Overlap refers to a similarity between courses with the same content. Therefore, you will receive the following reduction in credits if you have taken the courses listed below:
BI229F - Genomics and Bioinformatics - 10 credits