BBS Courses at MGH

Currently ECOR sponsors two courses through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) division of Harvard Medical School.

Courses are held in the Richard B. Simches Research Building, 185 Cambridge Street, on the main campus of MGH. Transportation is provided from Longwood Avenue to MGH to facilitate student recruitment for these classes.

CB 226 Cell Biology - Concepts in Development, Self-Renewal, and Repair
This course explores developmental mechanisms that persist throughout the life cycle, examining pluripotency and cell fate restriction in embryos and adult tissues.  The course objective is to teach critical thinking about development and regenerative biology. Student involvement in discussions and critique of published work is the core strength of this course. We prepare students to critically assess the current state of the art in stem cell biology and apply the same approaches to their own research.

GEN 228- Genetics in Medicine- from Bench to Bedside
This course utilizes examples from a variety of human disorders in order to illustrate the successful progression of the “Genetic Research Cycle.” The Cycle is a paradigm for disease research that begins by comparing human phenotypes and genetic variation to identify genes of importance in human disease.  It then moves on to characterizing the mechanisms by which the underlying DNA differences lead to phenotypic differences in disease using models driven by human genotype-phenotype relationships, and is completed when the knowledge gained delivers benefit back to the patient population in the forms of improved diagnosis, disease management and treatments. Time is also spent discussing the ethical implications of genetic research and testing.