| Faculteit | Science and Engineering |
| Jaar | 2021/22 |
| Vakcode | WBBY039-05 |
| Vaknaam | Evolutionary Medicine |
| Niveau(s) | bachelor |
| Voertaal | Engels |
| Periode | semester II a |
| ECTS | 5 |
| Rooster | rooster.rug.nl |
| 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 or cancer 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 - The evolution of human reproductive disorders and pregnancy complications - Applied evolution 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)
(LC-30 hrs, T-3 hrs, ASM-16 hrs) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toetsvorm |
Meerkeuze toets (MC), Presentatie (P), Schriftelijk tentamen (WE)
(WE-30%, MC-30%, P-40%. To pass the course, the final exam and poster presentation must each receive a grade higher than 5.5) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entreevoorwaarden | The course 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. PLEASE NOTE Students from other degree programmes than Biology and/or Life Science & Technology who would like to participate in this course unit need to have basic biological and evolutionary knowledge. Students are obliged to contact one of the academic advisors before enrolling in this course in order to check whether they have met de entrance requirements. After this contact, students also have to request admission from the Board of Examiners Biology/Life Science & Technology. Failing to follow this entire procedure before the official enrollment deadline, results in immediate unenrollment without prior notification. Students from the Bachelor's degree programmes Biology and Life Science & Technology take priority over students from other degree programmes when the course has a maximum capacity. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opmerkingen | Tutorials, and poster presentation are mandatory. Missing a tutorial without good reason will result in a 10% downgrade. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opgenomen in |
|