Developmental Biology and Disease
This course examines how a fertilized egg becomes an animal, emphasizing the causal basis of developmental events. Topics include embryonic organization, gene regulatory networks, inductive interactions, morphogenesis, and pattern formation, with attention to how classical and modern experiments revealed these principles. We will introduce development at organ, tissue, cellular, and molecular levels and explore how disruptions in these processes cause human disorders. Students will examine the genetic and mechanistic basis of congenital and developmental disorders, focusing on conditions affecting the heart, brain, limb, and other organ systems. Case studies will connect fundamental developmental mechanisms to human genetic variation and disease phenotypes, highlighting how basic research in developmental biology informs diagnosis, risk prediction, and emerging therapeutic strategies in both pediatric and adult patients across the lifespan.
Topics
- Explain the pros and cons of the major animal model systems used in development biology, such as Drosophila, amphibians, fish, mouse, and human cells.
- Understand the nature of experimental research as the basis for our current understanding in developmental biology.
- Interpret results of developmental biology experiments and draw conclusions from them.
- Describe general developmental mechanisms, including terms and concepts of developmental biology (e.g., induction, autonomous specification, morphogens, differential adhesion, etc.)
- Discuss biological information that underlies ethical issues such as stem cells and organoids.
- Read critically primary literature on a chosen topic through literature enrichment exercises.
Official roster learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027