Course Syllabus

Freshman Seminar - Genomics and Gene Therapy: How Genes Control You and How You Can Control Them

FRS 003      Sec. 011 (1 unit)    CRN 24286    Tuesdays 4:10-5:00pm   GenBio (GBSF) 

Instructor: David Segal <djsegal@ucdavis.edu>, Genome Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine.

1. Course description/ goals: This seminar is intended to provide science and non-science majors with an overview of the goals, methods, and history of gene therapy. Topics to be covered will include an introduction to the human genome, how we learn about what genes do, what is a genetic disease, and how recent advances have enabled scientists to attempt to fix genetic diseases. Anyone curious about the sequencing of the human genome and how that information might be used to improve public health is welcomed to attend.

The emphasis of this course is about interaction, both between the instructor and the students, and the students with each other. The content will therefore be delivered in discussions, debate teams, peer feedback on writings, and a tour of the genome center. In addition to learning about our genes and gene therapy, the students will learn to work together to increase their knowledge and share it with others.

2. Format: The seminar will be one hour per week for ten weeks. There will be two informal lectures for orientation and introduction to the basics. The subsequent format will be discussions, debates, and presentations based on reading materials, including articles from scientific journals and popular sources. All reading materials will be provided. There is no text for the course. Participants will write two 1-page papers on topics related to gene therapy. One session will be reserved for a tour of the UC Davis Genome Center to see where this work is actually done. Student input into the format and topics covered in the course will be encouraged.

3. Topic Outline:

Read “23andMe Saved My Life”

Oct 2: Introduction to the Human Genome, lecture; course overview

Read  “Boy in school flap over cystic fibrosis”

Oct 9: Genetic discrimination, debate teams

Oct 16: Tour of Genome Center Labs (meet  outside of 4202 GBSF)

Write 1 pg paper on “ FDA shuts down 23andMe”

Oct 23: Peer feedback and discussion.

Take online Quiz 1

Oct 30: Introduction to Gene Therapy, lecture and discussion

Read “Germline vs. somatic gene therapy”.

Nov 6: Germline gene therapy, debate teams

Write 1 pg paper on “Genome Editing Debate”

Nov 13: Gene therapy: Glybera approved in UK, group presentation 

Take online Quiz 2

Nov 20: Gene therapy of cancer, group presentation

Nov 27: Gene therapy of HIV, group presentation

Dec 4: Gene therapy of neurologic disorders, group presentation; course evaluation

Take online Quiz 3

4. Grading: Pass/Fail. Evidence of preparation and active participation in discussions and group presentations will be 50% of the course grade. Another 30% will be based on three take home short quizzes to evaluate if participants understand the key concepts as we go along. The remaining 20% will be based on the two writing assignments. All students are required to know and adhere to the UC Davis Code of Academic Conduct.

5. About the instructor: David Segal holds joint appointments in the UC Davis Genome Center, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, the Department of Pharmacology, and the M.I.N.D. Institute. This will be his 12th time teaching this seminar. His research interests are in developing gene editing tools (zinc fingers, TALEs, CRISPR/Cas9) for diagnostic and gene therapy applications. He is also aware that research scientists often do a poor job of communicating their science to non-scientists, fueling public anxiety about new technological advances. This seminar therefore aims to demystify, discuss, and invite critical thinking on new frontiers of biomedical science.