Genome Instability and Human Disease

This course will emphasize the molecular biology and biochemistry of DNA repair (Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015), placing these mechanisms into the context of other cellular processes as they pertain to health and disease. More than 40 distinct human diseases are caused by defects in DNA repair, including syndromes of impaired development, immunodeficiency, cancer predisposition, neurodegeneration, and premature aging. Environmental, clinical and endogenous sources of DNA damage will be discussed. An understanding of the fundamental role of DNA repair mechanisms in immunology, oncology, neurology, and aging will be central to all lectures. Spring semesters.

Instructor(s): Patricia Lynn Opresko, PhD, Ben Van Houten, PhD, Christopher Bakkenist

Credits: 3