Metabolism in Health and Disease

Catalog description

This course will provide fundamental and applied knowledge in the broadly defined area of metabolism. The material is intended for graduate students entering biomedical research careers in disciplines represented by various College of Medicine graduate programs. It is pivotal for trainees in Biomedical Research to understand the key concepts of metabolism and metabolic regulation, and how they are actually implemented at the cellular level. This course provides students with a fundamental understanding of metabolic regulation strategies, how the key metabolic pathways are integrated, the key roles of cellular organelles in metabolism and how those organelles are generated and maintained and coordinated in the cell. While metabolism is traditionally studied only in homeostasis, this course will equip the students with the ability to recognize and explain metabolic adaptations related to diseases such as inborn errors of metabolism or cancer. The bibliography will predominantly be recent papers, including reviews to provide a theoretical basis for the students and research papers to bring them to the forefront of metabolic discovery. Some of the classes will be case studies of diseases of metabolism that illustrate key concepts (students address the case studies in groups).