About this course: Large-scale biology projects such as the sequencing of the human genome and gene expression surveys using RNA-seq, microarrays and other technologies have created a wealth of data for biologists. However, the challenge facing scientists is analyzing and even accessing these data to extract useful information pertaining to the system being studied. This course focuses on employing existing bioinformatic resources – mainly web-based programs and databases – to access the wealth of data to answer questions relevant to the average biologist, and is highly hands-on. Topics covered include multiple sequence alignments, phylogenetics, gene expression data analysis, and protein interaction networks, in two separate parts. The first part, Bioinformatic Methods I, dealt with databases, Blast, multiple sequence alignments, phylogenetics, selection analysis and metagenomics. This, the second part, Bioinformatic Methods II, will cover motif searching, protein-protein interactions, structural bioinformatics, gene expression data analysis, and cis-element predictions. This pair of courses is useful to any student considering graduate school in the biological sciences, as well as students considering molecular medicine. These courses are based on one taught at the University of Toronto to upper-level undergraduates who have some understanding of basic molecular biology. If you're not familiar with this, something like https://learn.saylor.org/course/bio101 might be helpful. No programming is required for this course although some command line work (though within a web browser) occurs in the 5th module.
Taught by: Nicholas James Provart, Professor
Cell & Systems Biology
| Commitment | 12-18 hours of videos and labs |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
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This was extremely usefull course for me. The only thing I can suggest is making a small course book with all methods from this course. As for assignments, probably it could be better no include more questions to it, like it has been done in lab notes, not just five.
It is excellent and absorbing cource of bioinformatics. I enjoyed it a lot: many interesting and complex topics are explained by Prof. Provart. And almost everything becomes clear.
Only one topic was significantly difficult for me - the topic about gene expression, where R programming is applied. Some commands work only in online version of R. I nees some more time to realize the algorithm of this magic.
I recommend this course for most advanced students of medical university, and they have been expanded their horizonts of understanding biochemistry.
I really enjoyed the course -- especially learning more about proteins, gene expression and cis regulatory elements for example. The material provided has extra readings to augment what was done in the lectures and Labs. The discussion forum is active and from time to time the instructor answers the questions in the forum as well as mentors. A good place to start if you're starting out learning bioinformatics.
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MN
Thanks a lot! Thanks for the time spent to teach us this Nice Bioinformatic Methods II!