Evolutionary Medicine

Uitgebreide vaknaam	Evolutionary Medicine
Leerdoelen	At the end of the course, the student is able to: 1. Define and discuss general ecological and evolutionary concepts including selection, mutation, drift, trade-offs and pleiotropy 2. Review the evolutionary dynamics operating upon infectious disease and parasites, with implications for human health 3. Discuss and debate the concept of an evolutionary mismatch between the contemporary human environment and the environment in which we evolved 4. Explain the concept of virulence with implications for human health 5. Describe the progress of cancer in evolutionary terms 6. Describe how disease risk has varied over the course of human evolution 7. Present a poster presentation on applied evolutionary medicine
Omschrijving	We normally think of evolution as optimizing the phenotype of an animal so that it is well-adapted to its environment. So, the existence of diseases such as influenza, cancer or HIV are a puzzle. The course will investigate why and how diseases which are obviously harmful persist over evolutionary timescales? This course will give a broad overview where ecological and evolutionary thinking can advance the understanding of human health and disease. We will cover a range of topics including: ● A review of evolutionary genetics and dynamics ● The co-evolution of parasites and hosts ● Evolution of the immune system ● Evolution and origin of human infectious diseases ● Evolution of virulence – why are some infectious diseases fatal and others so mild that they are barely noticed? ● Evolution of sexually transmitted diseases ● The evolution of antibacterial and antimicrobial resistance ● Microbiota and human health ● Evolutionary processes operating in during cancer development ● The evolution of aging and diseases of old age ● Applied evolution – can we make malaria extinct? The course is suitable for any student interested in evolution and ecology or a biomedical field.
Uren per week
Onderwijsvorm	Hoorcollege (LC), Opdracht (ASM), Werkcollege (T) (Traditional lecture 28 hrs, Poster preparation (topic discussion) 3 hrs, Applied Evolutionary Medicine Poster Presentation 16 hrs, Self study 17 hrs. Exam and poster presentation must each receive a grade higher than 5.5)
Toetsvorm	Meerkeuze toets (MC), Presentatie (P), Schriftelijk tentamen (WE) (Written exam 30%, Multiple choice exam 30%, Presentation 40&)
Vaksoort	bachelor
Coördinator	dr. ir. M.G.J. de Vos
Docent(en)	dr. ir. M.G.J. de Vos , M.G. Elliot, PhD.
Verplichte literatuur	Titel Auteur ISBN Prijs Principles of Evolutionary Medicine (2016, 2nd ed.) Gluckman, Beedle, Buklijas, Low, Hanson 978-0-19-966393-4 €  45,00 Scientific manuscripts (provided in course)
Entreevoorwaarden	The Evolutionary Medicine course is part of the “Ecology and Evolution” and “Integrative Biology” specializations. As such it builds upon basic foundations of evolutionary biology acquired in the first year of the Biology curriculum. Students should have studied a first year course in evolution or a biomedical field.
Opmerkingen	Tutorials, and poster presentation are mandatory. Missing a tutorial without good reason will result in a 10% downgrade.
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type BSc Biology: major Behaviour and Neurosciences 2 semester II a keuzegroep BSc Biology: major Biomedical Sciences 2 semester II a keuzegroep BSc Biology: major Ecology and Evolution 2 semester II a keuzegroep BSc Biology: major Integrative Biology 2 semester II a verplicht BSc LS&T: major Behaviour and Neurosciences (cohort 2018 and 2019) 2 semester II a keuzegroep BSc LS&T: major Biomedical Sciences (cohort 2018 and 2019) 2 semester II a keuzegroep