Animal Science 697J - ST-Genes and Development

Understanding how a fetus develops from a single fertilized cell is a question that has perplexed biologists for over 100 years. While the field originally used only a few organisms and experimental techniques to tease out these questions, the last 15 years has seen fundamental shifts in the science of developmental biology. Advances in genetics, molecular biology, imaging and powerful new model organisms have brought the field closer to its goal. In this course experts in the field of mouse and frog development will lecture on basic topics in developmental biology including fertilization, axis specification, germ layer induction, organogenesis, cancer, postembryonic development and epigenetics. Within each topic there will be a focus on both classic and modern day literature that will constitute the required reading for the course. It is anticipated that students will not only master the topics covered but also gain the ability to evaluate the literature and design experiments in the field.