Molecules to Organisms 

BIOM 200 | Every Fall Quarter | Time: 9:00 -11:00 am  
Day: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
First Day: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Location: CMM East, Room 2047 
Course Directors: Philip Gordts and Roger Sunahara 
Units:  6

The primary goal of this course is to enable incoming students to transition from passive "fact-based" learning to an active, collaborative, and skeptical thinking and learning style necessary for success in graduate school and beyond. Through a series of eleven week-long modules taught by School of Medicine scientists and physicians, students learn to identify important open questions, design experimental strategies, and evaluate results critically.

In most modules, students immerse themselves in a different aspect of basic science and explore the links between research and human disease; in others, students will explore a few important experimental approaches that they may not have been exposed to during undergraduate classwork. During the course, students expand their knowledge of some key questions facing current medical researchers, and develop a framework for conceptual thinking to guide their own research projects.

 CLASS MODULES:

1. GENETICS AND GENOMICS (Prof. Bing Ren)

2. PROTEINS: SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE TO FUNCTION (Prof. Kevin Corbett)

3. NEUROBIOLOGY (Profs. Binhai Zheng and Tom Hnasko)

4. IMMUNOLOGY (Profs. Hiutung Chu, Jack Bui, and Stephanie Stanford)

5. IMAGING AND MICROSCOPY (Prof. Arshad Desai)

6. MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS AND THE MICROBIOME (Profs. Rob Knight, Victor Nizet, Manuela Raffatellu, and Pierter Dorrestein)

7. KINASES AND PHOSPHATASES IN CANCER (Prof. Alexandra Newton)

8. STEM CELL BIOLOGY (Profs. George Sen and Alysson Muotri)

9. G-PROTEIN SIGNALING (Prof. Roger Sunahara)

10. GLYCANS: STRUCTURE, BIOSYNTHESIS, EVOLUTION, AND FUNCTION (Prof. Philip Gordts)

FALL 2024 CLASS SCHEDULE tbd

Fall 2023 Schedule

MODULE 1 GENETICS AND GENOMIC
September 28, 29,  October 2, 3
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module will cover basic concepts and methodologies regarding the composition, function and regulation of eukaryotic genomes.

Concept emphasis: Critical reading and presentation of publications.

MODULE 2  PROTEINS: SEQUENCE TO STRUCTURE TO FUNCTION
October 5, 6, 9, 10
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module will explore the relationships between protein sequence, structure, and function through the lens of structural biology, with an introduction to structure determination by x-ray crystallography and electron microscopy.

Concept emphasis: The module will include hands-on work with software tools for protein sequence alignment, protein structure prediction, and molecular visualization.

MODULE 3  NEUROBIOLOGY
October 12, 13, 16, 17

Scientific emphasis: Students will be introduced to molecular and cellular neuroscience research involving the development, function and dysfunction of the nervous system. Emphasis will be placed on techniques and approaches for modern neuroscience research.

Concept emphasis: An overview of select neuroscience topics by the instructor(s) will be followed by group discussion of pre-assigned scientific papers.

MODULE 4 IMMUNOLOGY
October 19, 20, 23, 24
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module will introduce students to the cellular and molecular components of the immune system, and will highlight its functional organization in the context of homeostasis and diseases.

Concept emphasis: The module will include hands-on work with software tools for analyzing and visualizing immune populations. Students will read cutting-edge pre-assigned research papers and then present critical discussions of the data contained and conclusions drawn.

MODULE  5  IMAGING AND MICROSCOPY
October 26, 27, 30, 31
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module will explore the theory and practice of light microscopy, and introduce students to both microscopy instrumentation and image processing.

Concept emphasis: The module will include hands-on work with microscopes and image processing programs.

MODULE 6  MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS AND THE MICROBIOME
November 2, 3, 6, 7
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: In this module, we will study the molecular and cellular basis of viral and bacterial pathogenesis, and the role of the microbiome in health and disease. Topics that will be discussed include virulence factors, exploitation of the host cell, host immunological responses and microbial counter-responses, microbial evasion of the innate and adaptive immune system, and finding the Achilles heel of microorganisms for therapy and prevention of disease.

Concept emphasis: Groups will be assigned a set of papers, and based on these will present a "plenary lecture" synthesizing the body of work and summarizing its importance and impact.

MODULE 7 KINASES AND PHOSPHATASES IN CANCER
November 8, 9, 13, 14
Wed, Thur, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module examines the role of phosphorylation and other post translational modifications in cancer signaling, focusing on protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases and how to study their disruption in cancer using live cell imaging and bioinformatics tools.

Concept emphasis: Groups will be expected to formulate and present a pilot project grant proposal based on the NIH initiative of funding innovative research on the ‘understudied protein kinases’.

MODULE 8  STEM CELL BIOLOGY
November 16, 17, 20, 21
Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: This module is designed for students to learn the fundamentals of stem cell biology and to gain familiarity with current research in the field. Topics will include: stem cell concepts, methodologies for stem cell research, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, cloning and stem cell reprogramming, organogenesis and disease modeling in a dish.

Concept emphasis: Student groups will choose a contemporary problem in stem cell biology, and prepare both a 1-page research proposal and 30-minute group presentation.

**November 23-24  Thanksgiving break**

MODULE 9  G-PROTEIN SIGNALING
November 27, 28, 30, December 1
Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of signaling receptors in the mammalian genome and respond to diverse stimuli. Studies of GPCRs have delineated major paradigms by which signals from the extracellular milieu are transduced into intracellular responses. GPCRs are the most common drug targets and used clinically for the treatment of numerous diseases, including cardiovascular, psychiatric, pulmonary and immune disorders. This module examines GPCR regulation of the cardiovascular system using lectures, problem based learning and a laboratory session to illustrate GPCR ligand binding, activation, signaling to intracellular effectors and regulation in normal physiology and cardiovascular disease.

Concept emphasis: Groups will be expected to pitch a new therapeutic approach/strategy to venture capital investors, competing for startup funding for their new biotech company.

MODULE 10  GLYCANS: structure, biosynthesis, evolution, and function
DECEMBER 4, 5, 6, 7
Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur (9am-11am)

Scientific emphasis: Post-translational modification of glycoproteins and glycolipids, and the sorting and delivery of these molecules to various cellular destinations. Human genetic diseases affecting these pathways will be discussed.

Concept emphasis: This module will focus on synthesizing concepts in the fields of glycosylation, identifying critical questions and experimental strategies to approach them.

FINALS WEEK (December 11-12) - Final Project Presentation
Mon & Tues (9am-11am)