Zacharias Kontarakis: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2022

Name	Dr. Zacharias Kontarakis
Address	Genomics (FGCZ) ETH Zürich, HPL G 36 Otto-Stern-Weg 7 8093 Zürich SWITZERLAND
Telephone	+41 44 633 36 15
E-mail	zacharias.kontarakis@fgcz.ethz.ch
Department	Biology
Relationship	Lecturer

Number	Title	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
551-0130-00L	Fundamentals of Biology II Registrations via myStudies until 2.2.2022 at the latest. Subsequent registrations will not be considered.	8 credits	8P	M. Gstaiger, N. Aceto, J. A. Antunes Pereira, M. Cangkrama, H. Gehart, Z. Kontarakis, W. Kovacs, A. Leitner, S. L. Masneuf, P. Picotti, U. Sauer, E. B. Truernit, A. Wutz, N. Zamboni
Abstract	This introductory Laboratory course introduces the student to the entire range of classical and modern molecular biosciences. In the second year (Praktikum GL Bio II) the students will perform three praktikum days in: - Plant Biology - Animal Models - Genomics - Molecular Systems Biology (total of 12 experiments) Each experiment takes one full day.
Learning objective	Introduction to theoretical and experimental biology General Praktikum-information and course material: Moodle The general Praktikum information (Assignment list, Instructions and Schedule & Performance Sheet) will also be sent to the students directly (E-mail).
Content	The class is divided into four blocks: Cell Biology, Plant Biology, Genomics AND Molecular Systems Biology. One block lasts three weeks. Animal Models: - Tissue structure and biology - Mouse anatomy and histology - Tissue repair and cancer GENOMICS: - Chromosome preparations from mammalian cells - Genome Editing - Cancer genomics Molecular Systems Biology: - Preparation of proteomics and metabolomics samples - Analysis of proteomics and metabolomics data - Interpretation of proteomics and metabolomics data PLANT BIOLOGY: - Plants and light - Phytohormones and other growth factors - Molecular biology of systemic gene silencing
Lecture notes	Laboratory manuals All scripts and additional course information is available on Moodle.
Prerequisites / Notice	THE PRAKTIKUM RULES: Your attendance is obligatory and you have to attend all 12 Praktikum days. Absences are only acceptable if you are able to provide a Doctor’s certificate. The original Dr's certificate has to be given to Dr. M. Gstaiger (HPM F43) within five days of the absence of the Praktikum day. If there will be any exceptional or important situations then you should directly contact the Director of Studies of D-Biol, who will decide if you are allowed to miss a Praktikum day or not. HIGHLY IMPORTANT!! 1. Due to the increased number of students, the official Praktikum registration has to be done, using myStudies, preferably at the end of HS21 but not later than 2.2.2022. 2. Later registration is NOT possible and can NOT be accepted! 3. The course registration for FS22 is usually possible at the end of HS21 and you will obtain an E-mail from the Rectorate when the course registration using myStudies is possible. Students can register for a practice group via myStudies. As soon as the course unit is registered in myStudies, a text box appears indicating that a group can be selected. Accordingly, students can select a group in the next step. If more than 180 students register, the surplus students will be placed on a waiting list and then allocated by the course responsible. The Praktikum GL BioII FS22 will take place during the following days and therefore, you have to make sure already now that you do not have any other activities & commitments during these days: PRAKTIKUM DAYS DURING FS22 (Monday): 21.02.; 28.02.; 07.03.; 14.03.; 21.03.; 28.03.; 04.04.; 11.04.; 02.05.; 09.05.; 16.05.; 23.05.; No Praktikum during the Easter break: 18.04-29.04.
551-1294-00L	Genetics, Genomics	5 credits	4G	J. Corn, K. Bomblies, U. K. Genick, Z. Kontarakis, R. Schlapbach, G. Schwank, S. Sunagawa, O. Voinnet, K. Weis
Abstract	Genetics and epigenetics form the blueprints for all life. Understanding genetics is critical to understanding everything from evolution to cancer. This course covers the fundamentals of modern genetics, with an emphasis on molecular mechanisms, and the use of genetic tools to understand biological biological processes in bacteria, model organisms and humans.
Learning objective	At the end of this course you will know how traits are inherited between generations and how they move through populations. You will understand the molecular processes that give rise to observable genetic outcomes. You will know the most important genetic tools in different organisms. You will understand how genetic “problems” give rise to a variety of diseases and the fundamentals of modern genetic engineering.
Content	The appearance and function of an organism (phenotype) is determined by the interplay between its genome (genotype) and the environment: Genotype + environment = phenotype. Understanding these interactions to the point where we can ultimately predict the phenotype from knowledge of the genotype and environmental factors is one of the great challenges of biology. The goal of this course is that you learn how genetic information is passed between individuals and through populations, and how genetic/genomic methods are used to understand biological processes (the connection between genotype and phenotype). This course is organized into two parts. The first part is a solid grounding in modern genetic theory, with an emphasis on molecular mechanisms. What do we really mean when we say traits are passed between generations? How do we measure traits? How do we turn the observable frequency of trait occurrence into an understanding of a gene in a chromosome? Why is sex such a big deal and why do organisms put so much energy into it? How do organisms protect their genomes and what goes wrong when that protection fails? The second part is a series of expert lectures on applications in modern genetics. How can one use solid understanding of genetic theory to learn about other aspects of biology? How does next-generation sequencing work? What is CRISPR genome editing? Why is brewer’s yeast a powerful genetic tool? How does documenting disease occurrence in many, many individuals tell you where the responsible gene lies on a chromosome? How can one screen all the genes in a genome to figure out which one(s) are responsible for a phenotype?
Lecture notes	The learning material and slides of the input lectures are available on Moodle. There you will also find further information (articles, links, videos).
Literature	The course will mostly following Genetics: from Genes to Genomes (7th edition) by Goldberg, Fischer, Hood, and Hartwell.
Prerequisites / Notice	The course builds on the course Bio IA, in particular on that course's content regarding genetics and genomics. The course is based on frontal lectures on genetic theory, expert lectures by genetics practitioners from D-BIOL, self-learning units on Moodle, and exercises.