120.627.01
Stem Cells and the Biology of Aging and Disease
Location
East Baltimore
Term
3rd Term
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
M, W, 10:30 - 11:50am
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Daniela Drummond-Barbosa
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Course in biochemistry, molecular biology, or cell biology at undergraduate or graduate level.
Exposes students to cutting-edge topics in stem cell biology through a combination of lectures and discussions based on primary literature. Topics include basic stem cell biology in a invertebrate and vertebrate systems, including germline, neural, and Leydig stem cells; the regulation of stem cells by physiology and aging; the connection between stem cells, telomerase, and cancer; and ethical issues pertaining to potential therapeutic applications of stem cells.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Explain some of the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms that ensure self-renewal of stem cells
- Compare and contrast the regulation and function of stem cells in different systems
- Explain how physiology and aging impacts stem cell behavior and function
- Discuss how telomerase function is relevant to stem cells and cancers
- Raise some of the ethical issues in stem cell research and its therapeutic applications.
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 45% Midterm
- 45% Final Exam
- 10% Participation