Biology, Health and Big Data

Prerequisites: HUMBIO 2A and HUMBIO 3A or BIO 82 and BIO 83 or consent of instructor. We are living in a time of rapid growth in the accessibility and availability of biological and medical data. How can all this data be used to improve human health? In this course, students will look at case studies from diabetes and cancer research to learn how to access publicly available data ranging from genetic, protein and signaling pathway databases to information about clinical trials. Students will apply what they learn about bioinformatics databases to develop a research proposal and presentation on a biology-related topic of their choice. The class will have an interactive format with in-class data analysis activities. Students will gain skills in research methods including accessing, analyzing and presenting data. Assignments will use the R programming language. Prior programming experience is not required.