BIO 3031 - Embryonic Development

Credits: 4

Countless remarkable transformations and events occur in the transition from egg, to embryo, to adult. Examples from human and model systems will be used to illustrate the cellular and genetic principles that govern embryonic development. Neurobiology topics will be highlighted. Nerve cells born in the developing brain and spinal cord live for the entire life span of the organism. Neural connections are established with muscles and other organ systems throughout embryonic development. Discussion topics will include stem cell and human embryo research, prenatal testing, infertility and assisted reproduction, therapeutic and reproductive cloning, and “when does human life begin?”, neural tube patterning, brain development, neural crest cell migration and differentiation, spinal cord repair and emergent therapies for degenerative neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In the laboratory students will culture nerve and neural crest cells for original experimentation.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1027 or BIO 1025, BIO 2018 or consent of the instructor.
Combined 6 hours lecture and lab