Medicine and Surgery

Unit 1: Genetic variability and population structure (2 hours). Genetic variability: origin and study methods (covered in depth in the Molecular Genetics Techniques module). Genetic structure of populations: analysis of allele and genotype frequencies. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Unit 2: Extensions of Hardy-Weinberg's law (2 hours) Positive and negative assortative mating (non-random mating), inbreeding, mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, natural selection. Linkage disequilibrium. Unit 3: Genome structure and evolution. (2h) Mechanisms underlying molecular evolution: mutation, duplication, recombination, mobile element activity. Homologous, paralogous, and orthologous genes. Origin of new genes. Origin of new protein domains. Unit 4 - Epigenetics and evolution (4h) Epigenetic variation as raw material for natural selection. Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetic response to environmental variations and role in adaptation. Evolutionary impact on behavior. Unit 5 - Applications of evolutionary and population genetics to medicine (2h) Genetic epidemiology. Response to drugs and personalized medicine. Predictive and preventive medicine (population genetic screening and identification of genes associated with complex diseases). Host-pathogen coevolution and spread of infectious diseases. Evolutionary history and diseases.

1) Russell - Genetica. Un approccio molecolare- Pearson 2) Strachan e Lucassen - Genetica e Genomica nelle scienze mediche - Zanichelli Teaching materials provided by lecturers