Clinical & Molecular Diagnostics

4 Credits.

This course covers basic concepts and practical applications of modern laboratory diagnostic techniques. Topics include the principles of testing methodology, quality assurance, and the process of translating data into a diagnosis. Clinical and research test methods to be covered include nucleic acid-based methods, such as hybridization, amplification, and sequencing, non-nucleic acid methods, such as liquid chromatography, biomarker detection, and protein analysis, and technologies such as gel electrophoresis, ribotyping, imaging analyses, and serological testing methodologies. In addition to the test procedures, students are exposed to aspects of statistics, quality control, and regulatory issues to highlight the oversight required to ensure reliable data. A special emphasis will be placed on host-donor matching for transplantations, epidemiological tracking for infectious diseases, and identity analysis for lineage and forensics testing.Prerequisites: Students should have the equivalent of at least one of the following courses: AS.410.604 Cellular Signal Transduction, AS.410.612 Human Molecular Genetics, AS.410.615 Applied Microbiology, AS.410.629 Genes & Disease, AS.410.631 Infectious Diseases, AS.410.660 Immunological Techniques in Biotechnology, AS.410.692 Biological & Chemical Threat Response & Forensics, AS.410.696 Bioassay Development, AS.410.709 Cancer Genomics, or AS.410.750 Molecular Targets & Cancer