cookieImage
2025-2026 / VETE1068-1

Animal genomic

Duration

28h Th, 10h Mon. WS

Number of credits

 Bachelor in veterinary medicine3 crédits 

Lecturer

Keith Durkin

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

BSc course: Essential genomics for veterinarians and the animal sciences.


"Essential genomics for veterinarians and the animal sciences" provides a general introduction to the field of genomics applied to domestic animals.


The course comprises a total of five sections corresponding respectively to

Prerequisites I: Fundamentals in molecular biology of the gene

Prerequisites II: Fundamentals in genetics

Chapter I: Reference genomes

Chapter II: Individual genomes

Chapter III: Individual phenomena

 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, the student will be familiarized with:

  • The organisation and main features of the animal genome, sequencing technologies and methods used for the annotation of reference genomes.
  • Basic concepts in population and evolutionary genomics including the different types of genetic variants, the origins of genetic polymorphism, the notion of linkage disequilibrium and haplotype blocks, the main genotyping methods, the methods used for the reconstruction of our evolutionary history and of animal domestication.
  • An understanding of how variation in the genome contributes to health and disease in animals, including Mendelian traits and cancer.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

1. Basic knowledge in molecular biology of the gene (structure of DNA/RNA/proteins, replication, transcription, translation, mitosis, meiosis) and mendelian genetics (Mendel's laws, dominance, recessivity, linkage)

2. Basic knowledge in probability and statistics (mean, variance, covariance, correlation).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course comprises 28 hours of theoretical courses (Prerequistes I&II: 6 hours; Chapter I: 6 hours; Chapter II: 6 hours; Chapter III: 8 hours; 2 hours of buffer time), as well as 10 hours of practicals.

During the practicals, the students will be given extra material to better understand the theory, multiple choice questions (MCQ) that probe their understanding of the theory, as well as problems pertaining to sections 1 to 4 of the course. They will work under supervision of one or more teaching assistants. The organization of the practical work will take place in a hybrid way: online and face-to-face.

Attendance at practical work is mandatory.

An unjustified absence from the practical sessions will not allow the student to perform the exam in the first session.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

Face-to-face courses

Course materials and recommended or required readings


Further information:

The material covered in the course largely corresponds to the first half the textbook "Essential Genomics for Veterinarians and the Animal Sciences" by Michel Georges. The sections of the book that will be covered include: Prerequisites I & II, Chapter 1: Reference genomes, Chapter 2: Individual genomes and Chapter 3: Individual Phenomes. The book can be downloaded from GIGAUAG - Teaching as well as from ULiège's eCampus website.  As additional support, the students will have access (through the same web-pages) to copies of the slides that are used by the teacher during the course.  These slides correspond to a large extent to the figures and tables of the textbook.  Slides will be made as the course progresses. Updates of the lecture notes will be made available as the course progresses.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire )

Written work / report


Further information:

Written exam including multiple choice questions (+1; 0 ; -1 /NSP-1).


Exercises will be due during the week of the TD and will count for 10% of the final grade.

 
Students absent from the TD will have a homework and it wiil count for 10% of the final grade.

Work placement(s)

Not applicable

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

kdurkin@uliege.be
 

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online

Animal Genomics
http://www.giga.ulg.ac.be/cms/c_20687/fr/unit-of-animal-genomics-teaching#bsc