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Tales from the Genome

Free Course

Introduction to Genetics for Beginners

Related Nanodegree Program

Introduction to Programming

In collaboration with
  • 23andMe

About this course

This course is a journey into the biology of the human genome and will highlight the scientific, social, and personal perspectives of people living with a variety of traits.

What you will learn

  1. Origin of mutation/variation
    • Types of mutations and various causes of mutation.
    • Allelic frequency, and the spread of alleles in a population.
  2. How to obtain and interpret personal genetic information
    • Personalized genetics: sample acquisition, DNA extraction and processing.
    • Interpretation of results.
  3. Simple genetic traits
    • Molecular causes of monogenic traits.
    • Loss-of-function vs. gain-of-function alleles, and dominance.
  4. Multifactorial traits
    • Polygenic traits, qualitative and quantitative measures.
    • Twin studies, relative risk, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
  5. Pharmacogenetics: genes and drugs
    • Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
    • Alleles affecting drug metabolism.
    • Personalized medicine.
  6. Origin of mutation/variation
    • Types of mutations and various causes of mutation.
    • Allelic frequency, and the spread of alleles in a population.
  7. How to obtain and interpret personal genetic information
    • Personalized genetics: sample acquisition, DNA extraction and processing.
    • Interpretation of results.
  8. Simple genetic traits
    • Molecular causes of monogenic traits.
    • Loss-of-function vs. gain-of-function alleles, and dominance.
  9. Multifactorial traits
    • Polygenic traits, qualitative and quantitative measures.
    • Twin studies, relative risk, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
  10. Pharmacogenetics: genes and drugs
    • Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
    • Alleles affecting drug metabolism.
    • Personalized medicine.

Prerequisites and requirements

No previous experience in genetics is necessary. However, familiarity with basic biological concepts, like the cell, is beneficial.

See the Technology Requirements for using Udacity.

Why take this course?

You will learn about fundamental principles of inheritance, gene expression, mutation and variation, development of simple and complex biological traits, human ancestry and evolution, and the acquisition of personal genetic information. By the end of this course, you will be able to read and understand genetic information available from personal genetics services such as 23andMe.

Learn with the best.

  • Joanna Mountain
    Joanna Mountain

    Instructor

  • Uta Francke
    Uta Francke

    Instructor

  • 23andMe Team
    23andMe Team

    Instructor

  • Matthew Cook
    Matthew Cook

    Instructor

  • Lauren Castellano
    Lauren Castellano

    Instructor