Modeling Human Disease Using Stem Cells

In this COEX and CBLR course, students will have the opportunity to develop their own hypothesis-driven research question with a focus on pluripotent stem cell biology and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Understanding how to manipulate pluripotent stem cells is vital in studying normal developmental processes and what goes awry in a disease. Students in this course will propose and carry out their own research project utilizing human iPSCs to further understand pathological cellular states associated with AD using patient lines. The research project will be developed at the beginning of the semester with in-lab work carrying out the proposed set of experiments, analyzing the data and presenting the results in a scientific poster session. Students will also be able to translate the biology of the disease to clinical experiences, community outreach, and patient interactions in the surrounding community. For advanced undergraduates.