This group of lectures is no longer given either at UCL or at the Royal Free where it used to form part of the Chemistry of the Cell and Genetics course (now replaced by a new curriculum) at UCL Medical School and also the Year 2, Genetics course at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School. What follows is frozen at year 2000 / 2001. However, because others outside UCL have found these lectures useful and because I have found it useful to be able to refer to them from other web pages, I will leave them here. Some of the material may be updated occasionally when I have time and energy!
In this section look out for material which links from the genetics to the biochemistry and vice versa. Mostly this will be in the chemistry of genes and of genetic diseases, but try to think for yourself what might be the underlying biochemistry of any of the "black box" genetics. For instance "What makes a mutation dominant or recessive?". Do not worry if that question was at this stage meaningless. But check again at the end of the course, if it's still devoid of meaning then, your attention must have wandered!
Only an outline of this course material has been given to you in the UCL course booklet. You should print out whatever parts of this web material you want to keep. In an effort to keep up to date, I will probably be revising it throughout the course and, of course, if you find any problems - non working links etc. - please let me know so that I can fix them. Whenever a genetic disease is mentioned I have tried to provide an external link so that you can, if you wish, find out more about it. Other links are provided to whatever interesting sites I have come across in the course of preparing these notes.
You must do the associated reading, just to attend the lectures will not be enough and these notes will do no more than give you the jump points for your own learning.
Textbooks: There are many very well written human genetics textbooks on the market today. Which one you choose is very much a matter of individual preference, you must decide which author's style most suits you.
I particularly like:
A book which includes examples of almost all the commoner genetic and / or cytogenetic diseases is:
A book which I have in the past recommended but which is a little difficult to read and is also now starting to show its age is:
Course work: Recommended reading will be given in every lecture which will reinforce and complement the lecture. It is an essential component of the course. It will mostly be drawn from the recommended books above, but the topics will be given and you should be able to find the material in any human genetics textbook. Do not try to read everything given, the different books are alternatives. Where I consider that a book is particularly strong or weak on a topic I have mentioned this.
Timetables: The timetable for the Royal Free,2000, is given here. The timetable for the UCL Chemistry of the Cell and Genetics course used to be given in the course notebook.
Self Assessment Questions: Links to SAQs are included at the end of every lecture.
Questions on the web notes: A web page with questions about the lectures together with my answers can be accessed here. Please feel free to email me any others.
Click below for the individual lecture notes.