Genomic and Epigenomic Medicine

The course provides an insight into the applications, strategies and implications of the genomic and epigenomic analysis of the human genome, its impact on human diseases and translation into clinical tools. Current opinions and research findings, as well as methods and technologies, will be conveyed and discussed throughout the course. Applications of bioinformatics and computational data analysis will be illustrated. Genomic structure and variation will be covered as well as population genetics, discussing the HapMap and 1000 genomes projects. The identification of genetic causes and their associations with human diseases will be treated together with genetic epidemiology. The human transcriptome, its regulation, biogenesis and function will be treated. Comparative genomics will illustrate the genetic evolution of man and the use of animal or other model organisms in understanding human diseases. Epigenomics comprise an in-depth account of the epigenetic mechanisms affecting chromatin structures such as modification of histones and DNA, non-coding RNAs and nuclear structure and their importance in different fundamental biological processes, as shown e.g. in the ENCODE project. Translational genomics will be illustrated by pharmacogenomics/epigenomics, its application in drug therapies for different diseases and its impact on public health and personalised medicine.