CMSC828G: Bioinformatics for Metagenomics
CMSC 828G: Bioinformatics for
Metagenomics
(Fall 2009)
Instructor: Prof. Steven
Salzberg, 3125 Biomolecular Sciences Building
Meeting time and place: Tues-Thurs 11:00-12:15, 3118 Biomolecular Sciences Bldg
Course Description
Metagenomics is the new science of directly sequencing DNA from a
complex mixture extracted from the environment. Metagenomics projects
have targeted the ocean, the soil, and the human body, and these
projects are uncovering a wealth of previously unexplored microbial
diversity. Metagenomics studies generate large quantities of rich,
complex data, and new bioinformatics methods are essential if we are to
make sense of this data. This course will focus on the design and
development of algorithms and data structures to analyze metagenomics
data. This course will include a combination of lectures and readings
from the current literature.
In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report titled "The
New Science of Metagenomics: Revealing the Secrets of Our Microbial
Planet." That report compared metagenomics to the invention of the
microscope in its potential for scientific discovery. It said:
"Metagenomics provides a new way of examining the microbial world that
not only will transform modern microbiology but has the potential to
revolutionize understanding of the entire living world. In
metagenomics, the power of genomic analysis is applied to entire
communities of microbes, bypassing the need to isolate and culture
individual bacterial community members. The new approach and its
attendant technologies will bring to light the myriad capabilities of
microbial communities that drive the planet’s energy and nutrient
cycles, maintain the health of its inhabitants, and shape the evolution
of life."
This seminar course will focus on readings from the current literature. Students will read and present materials in class, and will design and execute a metagenomics project of their own by the end of the course.
Here is a preliminary reading list
| |