General Unit Information

Building on basic knowledge gained from completing second year Genetics units at Monash, or equivalent, this unit will incorporate recent information gained from international genome analysis projects involving a wide range of species, ranging from unicellular to multicellular organisms, including humans and close relatives and also incorporating recent advances relating to agriculturally important animals and plants. Relevant advances relating to the regulation of gene activity and its ability to control and improve growth, development, health and performance at both the cellular and the whole organism level will be examined. Such information will increasingly be important in the 21st century for sustainable development of human civilization in concert with a healthy planetary environment. Students will acquire relevant laboratory skills involving advanced techniques in molecular genetics, use of genes in biotechnology, genomic analysis, computer assisted genetic database analysis and bioinformatics.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Describe recent advances in genetic knowledge gained from genomic analysis of species ranging from unicellular to multicellular organisms;
2. Explain the philosophy of forward and reverse genetics including genome editing techniques.
3. Determine potential applications for genomic techniques in the areas of medical research, agriculture, biotechnology and environmental management;
4. Utilise bioinformatic tools to compare DNA and protein sequences, search for genetic variants controlling complex traits, analyse transcriptome data and search for genomic signatures for adaptation;
5. Illustrate the processes required to map and identify genes controlling complex biological traits and articulate how forward genetics approaches can be used to determine gene function;
6. Collect, analyse, interpret and present genetic data effectively in the preparation of scientific reports;
7. Synthesize and critique new discoveries from the scientific literature in genomics.

Specific Unit Information