GENETIC APPLICATIONS - Genetics II

Explore How Genetics Can Be Applied To Different Industries

Genetics is a biological science and is regularly used in applications by a variety of industries. Key amongst these are;

• Agriculture
• Animal Sciences
• Environmental Management
• Horticulture
• Health Sciences

As knowledge and understanding of genetics increases it continues to change how we approach and solve challenges across all of these industries. These may be new approaches to breeding plants and animals, or in manging disease or even in how best to manage environmental health.

This course is builds on the fundamentals on genetics learned in our Genetics course to provide a more in depth understanding of theoretical genetics. This is achieved through increasing your awareness of where and how genetics is applied to real world problems. Anyone involved in an industry built on life sciences like horticulture or agriculture can broaden the way in which they perceive  issues in their workplace with this course.

The course is well suited to professional development for plant and animal breeders or others involved in horticultural and agricultural activities.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Inheritance Patterns & Non-Mendelian Genetics
   • Mendelian Genetics
   • Mendel’s Law Of Inheritance
   • Non-Mendelian Genetics & Inheritance Patterns
   • Multiple Allele Traits
   • Codominance
   • Incomplete Dominance
   • Pleiotropy
   • Inheritance Tools
   • Pedigree
2. Genetic Foundations
   • Nucleic Acids
   • Structure Of DNA
   • Genomic DNA
   • Genomic Libraries
   • Complementary DNA
   • Generating cDNA Libraries
   • Autosomal DNA
   • Mitochondrial DNA
   • Structure Of mRNA
3. Genetic Technologies
   • ELISA(Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay)
   • Microarrays
   • Application Of Microarray
   • PCR (Polymer Chain Reaction)
   • Gel Electrophoresis
   • Types Of PCR
   • DNA Sequencing Technologies
   • Application Of PCR & DNA Sequencing Technology
   • Bioinformatics
4. Complex Genetic Inheritance
   • Polygenic Inheritance
   • Gene Conversion
   • Epistasis
   • Cytoplasmic Inheritance
   • Infectious Heredity
   • Mosaicism
   • Sex-Linked Inheritance
5. Epigenetics
   • Histone Modification
   • DNA Methylation
   • MicroRNA
6. Genetic Modification(Genetic Engineering)
   • Gene Editing
   • Genetic Recombination
   • CRISPR-Cas9
   • Cloning
   • Mutagenesis
   • Horticultural Application Of Mutagenesis
7. Genome Editing & Ethical Considerations
   • Somatic vs Germline Gene Editing
   • Ethical Considerations
8. Genomics & Crop Development
   • Uses Of Genetic Technology In Agriculture
   • Genetically Modified Plants
   • Types Of Genetic Modification
   • Benefits Of GM Crops
   • Examples Of Different GM Crops
9. Genomics & Livestock Development
   • Genomics In Livestock
   • Heritability
   • Trait Selection
   • Cloning
   • Transgenic Animals
   • Other Animal Genomic Programs
10. Genomics and Human Health
    • The Human Genome Project (HGP)
    • Human Health & Disease
    • Personalised Medicine
    • Case Study - Disease Detection
    • Case Study - Genetic Mutation
    • Case Study - Genetic testing For Cancer

Aims

• Review the basics of Mendelian genetics.
• Explain several non-Mendelian inheritance patterns and how they affect inheritance in plants and animals.
• Explain the basic structure of DNA and mRNA and common methods laboratory methods.
• Explain modern genetic technologies used to investigate DNA.
• Explain more complex forms of genetic inheritance, including polygenic inheritance, gene conversion, infectious heredity, and epistasis and how they affect plants, and in some cases, human health.
• Explain the basic concepts of epigenetics and discuss applications for epigenetics.
• Explain genetic modification and highlight the methods by which this can be achieved.
• Discuss the ethical consideration of gene editing.
• Explain the use of genomics in crops.
• Explain the applications of genomics in animals.
• Explain the applications of genetic technologies in human health.

Why Study This Course?

This course will allow you to increase your knowledge of genetics and improve your understanding of applications for genetics and genomics in the real world.

You will learn about techniques used in genetic and genomics research, including of genotyping, gene cloning, genome editing, engineering, phenotyping, and more.

Upon completion of the course you will understand how recent developments in genetics can impact agriculture, medicine, human health and food/crop production. This will allow anyone working in any of these areas to stay ahead of the curve, improving decision making and increasing knowledge of the applicable area.

This course is ideal for anyone who would like to understand more about genetics, studying in your own time, at your own paces, whilst being supported by your tutor along the way.