Finding Mutations in DNA and Proteins (Bioinformatics VI)
In previous courses in the Specialization, we have discussed how to sequence and compare genomes. This course will cover advanced topics in finding mutations lurking within DNA and proteins.
In the first half of the course, we would like to ask how an individual's genome differs from the "reference genome" of the species. Our goal is to take small fragments of DNA from the individual and "map" them to the reference genome. We will see that the combinatorial pattern matching algorithms solving this problem are elegant and extremely efficient, requiring a surprisingly small amount of runtime and memory.
In the second half of the course, we will learn how to identify the function of a protein even if it has been bombarded by so many mutations compared to similar proteins with known functions that it has become barely recognizable. This is the case, for example, in HIV studies, since the virus often mutates so quickly that researchers can struggle to study it. The approach we will use is based on a powerful machine learning tool called a hidden Markov model.
Finally, you will learn how to apply popular bioinformatics software tools applying hidden Markov models to compare a protein against a related family of proteins.
Status: Algorithms
Algorithms
Status: Memory Management
Memory Management
Intermediate·Course·24 hours
Featured reviews
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 20, 2019
In depth and comprehensive coverage of the topics in genetic data analysis.
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 15, 2018
Really enjoyed this course. It was great to get to build on work from previous courses.
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 31, 2021
Great course! It opened my mind on the capabilities of algorithms beyond its intended purpose.
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 30, 2020
The contents were so well organized and helpful to develop a proper insight
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 13, 2020
It was probably my favorite in this specialization (at least, out of first six).
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 22, 2020
Really loved learning about suffix trees/arrays, BWT, Pattern matching, HMMs!
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M
Mohamed
4.0
·Reviewed Aug 14, 2017
Good course. I did this course after the course "Algorithms for DNA Sequencing" of Ben Langmead. Since Ben Langmead was excellent in his explanations, my expectations were the same for this course but I felt that it is not as good as Ben Langmead course maybe because there are no practical videos about programming ideas.
S
Samuel
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 16, 2018
Really enjoyed this course. It was great to get to build on work from previous courses.
J
Jason
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 23, 2020
Really loved learning about suffix trees/arrays, BWT, Pattern matching, HMMs!
T
Thomas
4.0
·Reviewed Dec 20, 2018
Much more difficult than 1-5 or 7!
T
Tamas
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 29, 2016
One of the best specialization on Coursera. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to apply his/her programming skills to fascinating real-world problems.
E
Edgardo
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 31, 2021
Great course! It opened my mind on the capabilities of algorithms beyond its intended purpose.
R
Ramiz
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 14, 2020
It was probably my favorite in this specialization (at least, out of first six).
S
Sakshar
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 1, 2020
The contents were so well organized and helpful to develop a proper insight
Z
Zack
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 21, 2019
In depth and comprehensive coverage of the topics in genetic data analysis.
A
Arsham
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 1, 2022
It was the greatest course I've ever attended.
G
Guru
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 11, 2023
very great teaching
M
Mare
5.0
·Reviewed May 16, 2020
Very good.
T
Tom
4.0
·Reviewed Jul 17, 2017
Very interesting material. The only reason I marked this course as 4 stars instead of 5 stars is by comparison to the other courses in this specialization. This course does not have the online textbook which means that the student needs to work through the lecture videos very closely in order to be able to solve the programming assignments.