Biotechnology and Genomic for Industry and Environment

General skills: The course aims to introduce the students to the main approaches to functional genomics. Students will learn to apply the high-throughput techniques based on DNA microarrays and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), measuring their potentials and their problems and limits. Focus will be placed on data mining methodologies, from image analysis to data normalization and statistical filtering to gene clustering and gene ontology. The availability of functional database and their use for improving biomedical research will also be explained. Specific skills: The course aims to introduce the students to the main approaches to functional genomics, using the most advanced model systems currently available. Students will learn the principles and the perspectives of application of the high-throughput techniques based on DNA microarrays and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), measuring their potentials and their problems and limits. Focus will be placed on data mining methodologies, from image analysis to data normalization and statistical filtering to gene clustering and gene ontology analysis. The perspectives of next generation sequencing in extending the limits of DNA microarray technology will also be illustrated. At the end of the course students should be able to critically read papers from scientific literature and research projects in the functional genomics field and understand methodological choices, perspectives, eventual problems and week points.