7.342 Pluripotent Stem Cells and Genome Engineering for Modeling Human Diseases, Spring 2015

One of the major priorities in biomedical research is understanding the molecular events that establish the complex processes involved in human development and the relationships of these processes to human disease and disease progression. In this class, we will explore stem cell biology and the way in which it has developed and shaped our ability to study complex human disease. We will introduce the field of stem cell biology and genome engineering through critical reading of both the classical and newest primary research literature. In addition, this course will discuss specific disease model systems and their benefits / limitations for understanding the disease and treating human patients. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.