Postgraduate Course: Genetics of Human Complex Traits (PGBI11083)

Course Outline
School	School of Biological Sciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course focuses on genetic and genomic approaches appropriate for the study of human populations. The course will emphasise analyse of both genetic disorder, and complex traits within the normal ranges and in the context of disease. It will identify the practical aspects associated with such analyses in human populations due to the structure and organisation of the human population and the importance of late-onset-disorders.
Course description	Session Topic 1 Introduction to complex traits and how to identify a disorder with a genetic component. 2 Human population diversity, population stratification & admixture. 3 Genetic testing & screening, Bayesian risk prediction. 4 Linkage analysis I: Quantitative traits. Extended families, nuclear families,phenotype definition, confounders. 5 Linkage analysis II: Genetic disorders. Diagnosis, liability classes, penetrance,heterogeneity. Strategies for late-onset diseases. 6 Association studies ż design, confounders, familial versus sporadic, endophenotypes. 7 Genome-wide association studies of quantitative traits ż in healthy populations and in the context of disease, regional/genome-wide prediction. 8 Genome-wide association studies of genetic disorders (case:control) ż identifying genes for complex genetic disorders, computational and bioinformatic tools. 9 Animal models: ENU mutagenesis, knockouts, conditional knockouts. 10 Transcriptomics and proteomics ż high throughput methodologies, gene expression, protein interactions, pathway analysis.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites	Students MUST also take: Population and Quantitative Genetics (PGBI11001) Students MUST also take: Quantitative Genetic Models (PGBI11085) AND Linkage and Association in Genome Analysis (PGBI11086)
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 24, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 68 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	One centrally arranged exam (60%) plus one assignment (40%)
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)	Genetics of Human Complex Traits		1:30

Learning Outcomes
On successfully completing the course, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the practical application of genomics and genome analysis to the analysis of human populations and genetic disorders. They will be conversant with inherent difficulties and opportunities facing such analyses, and the multiple approaches that have been implemented. They will be conversant with the integration of multiple genome-wide approaches and the value of genetic models.