Medical Genomics

Goal:Prepare students for the new Global Economy of Genomics. This spans career opportunities ranging from roles as technicians, medical personnel, entrepreneurs, sales staff and scientists, including new frontiers in medicine and pharmacology.

Focus:Train students in modern Genomics, including sample preparation, DNA sequencing, instrument operation and troubleshooting, and data analysis.

Value Proposition:

Students: Prepare students for meaningful in-demand careers.

Academia:Optimize the value of Community Colleges in developing layered educational opportunities in all aspects of Genomics.

Industry: Partner with industry to develop modern training, and new technologies and to provide a ready-made work force for the industry.

Economic Impact:Maintain Bay Area leadership in Genomics Research and computer science (bioinformatics).

Why Medical Genomics?

The world of medicine is changing. Recently, ScientificAmerican (May, 2012) projected that within 3 years tens of millions of people will have their entire genomes sequenced, which will enhance their lives through preventative medicine and gene therapy. Trained people will be in high demand to carry out this important work.

“I think that (Personal Genomics) will be as important to human health as clean water, antibiotics and imaging.” Jonathan Rothman, CEO of Ion Torrent Division of Life Technologies

Ideal candidates include students who have taken prerequisites for any allied health program offered by the Peralta Community Colleges. However, we are here to provide training to any student interested in Genomics or Genetics. This is also a great opportunity for anyone in biotech to advance their careers. “Genomics and the rest of the new digital health infrastructure will make it possible to understand any individual’s health more profoundly and comprehensively than ever before. Consumers empowered by the new technologies and unprecedented access to their own medical information, will transfigure healthcare, with colossal benefits and better outcomes, reduced suffering, and saved costs.” - Eric Topol, Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute

While in past years training for careers in Genomics has been restricted to universities (typically to students at the graduate level), there will be unprecedented demand for skilled technicians at many levels in coming years as hospitals and clinics establish Genome Centersto sequencethe DNA of their patients. The cost of sequencing an individual human genome is expected to soon drop precipitously to $1,000. Remarkably, these costs are expected to continue to rapidly dropeven more while DNA sequencing simultaneously gains accuracy, speed and new applications, aschip-based nanotech instruments now under development surface in the Genomics industry.

“Whole genome sequencing illuminates every cornerof a patient’s physiology and can suggest new hypotheses ifthe obvious causes for a medical condition don’t apply. It also provides a single unified terminology for describing a patient—a lingua franca of base pairs, if you will—that all medicalspecialties can use to share detailed information.” - Scientific American, May 2012

Rapid Economic Growth in Genomics

In addition to medical careapplications such as personal genomics and genomics as “the new clinical diagnostics”, many other commercial areas of opportunityare opening for those with genomics expertise. Diverse areas include all aspects of agriculture (such as production and food safety), clean energy (e.g. biofuels), forensics/human I.D., biosecurity, and toxic waste management. Emerging technologiesare growing multiple new genomics-related career “-omics”, such as epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, nutrigenomics, pharmacogenomics,proteomics, and toxicogenomics.

Life-science research and drug discovery and development applications presently represent the two largest markets for DNA sequencing revenues, accounting for a market already over $1 billion in 2012. These markets alone are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13% to reach nearly $1.7 billion in 2015. The worldwide market forsequencing products will grow from an estimated $1.3 billion in 2010 to more than $3.3 billion by 2015. The bioinformatics segment will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 19.3%, rising from $1.1 billion

in 2010 to $2.6 billion in 2015. Genomics biomarkers were valued at an estimated $5.1 billion in 2010, and are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 26.9% to nearly $17 billion in value 2015. (Source BCC Research LLC, Wellesley, MA).

In essence, the current “golden age” of Genomics is rapidly changing to an even more valuable “platinum age”.Career fields with tie-ins to living organisms and their DNA arebeing revolutionized.

Why study Genomics at Merritt College?

Merritt College students will have unprecedented opportunities for access to advanced instrumentation, for participation in hands on genomics research, and for up-to-date technological training.

The Peralta District now has one of the best infrastructural facilities for biotechnologytraining worldwide. We have developed an exciting lab in Genomics at the 860 Atlantic Avenue address inAlameda, to meet the educational and career development needs of the community.

For example, Merritt College stands apart from all other Community Collegesin that it has several base tissue collections, including six complete non-mammalian Vertebrate genomic libraries and 13 thousand amphibian and reptile frozen tissue samples from around the World.

Part of our program is thedevelopment of a Production Center called Profile Genomicsthat will not only examine these tissues de novo, but also mine them for useful genes of value in the pharmaceutical and other industries. These tissues should also prove useful as the basis for National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)research grants.

The Merritt Genomics Program is in regular contact with numerous successful research labs and biotech companies worldwide and intends for our students to be engaged with new technologies. Our program goals are to implement educational, entrepreneurial and career advancement opportunities.

In addition, the Profile GenomicsProduction Center will offer sample preparation, sequencing, and data analysis to generate income to make the lab self-sustaining. In addition to externships, our graduates will work in our Production Center as paid interns, providing on-the-job trainingand experience at solving real-world problems, thus ensuring their marketability.

Start here!

BioScience 30

Genomics Theory

Contact: Dr. J. Robert Macey:

Part of the Peralta Community College System,biomedical and biotech courses are offered throughMerritt College, located inthe beautiful Oakland Hills of Alameda County, California, as well as at our lab and production center on Alameda Island. Additional courses are available at three other Peralta District Colleges: Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, and Laney College.

The Peralta District Colleges are accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Discover us!

  • Tuition is only $46 per unit!
  • Small class sizes of 30 students or less.
  • Modern Laboratories
  • Ample, inexpensive parking on thecampuses.
  • Merritt College is on bus route 54, which connects to Fruitvale BART.
  • Free Estuary shuttle from Lake Merritt BART to the 860 Atlantic Ave lab —every 30 minutes!
  • All students have access to the library, gym, computer center, and health center.
  • Free tutoring for students.
  • Financial aid available.
  • Year-round courses, including many in the evenings and on weekends.
  • Top-notch instruction, transferable to other Colleges and Universities.
  • Transferability to a four-year bachelor’s degree program (e.g. UC Davis) would require only the completion of a calculus course.
  • Excellent choice for career transitions.

We change lives.

Medical Genomics

Merritt College

12500 Campus Drive

Oakland, Ca 94619

Genomics Lab / Production Center

860 Atlantic Avenue

Alameda, California 94501

Program Outcomes

  • Learn how to sequence and analyze DNA!
  • Gain in-demand training on high-end genomics instrumentation!
  • Access a booming employment field!
  • Participate in exciting developments in biomedical research!

Join the Genomics Revolution!

Job opportunities

The two main sources of high employment and job growth in the Bay Area are biotech companies and the high tech industries of Silicon Valley. One thing these industries have in common is new applications in the ever-expanding revolution of genomics.Specialized training is necessary to prepare samples, operate DNA sequencing devices, and be able to use bioinformatics tools to interpret and apply results.

These jobs require both people skills and technical skills. You will work with both your hands and your head. Many different jobs are possible, but typically, your workweek will have a lot of variety: you will need to be both a self-starter and a team player. Naturally, a love of science, technology and a desire to helppeople is a must! The advancement potential is excellent.

Our training will allow you to access well paid, fulfilling employment in rapidly expanding fields. Many employment opportunities are local, yet there are also increasing opportunities nationally and globally. We have developed the curriculum for this groundbreaking program in conjunction with an Advisory Board comprised of local industry and academic leaders.

Careers include:

Genomics core facility director.

Genomics/sequencing core technician.

Research technician in biotech or academic research lab,

Genomics and Bioinformatics sales representative.

Genetics Counseling

Clinical lab, genomics, histology, orpathology technician.

Quality control: high tech, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Nursing and related biomedical careers in which genomics is rapidly growing and playing increasingly important roles.

Merritt College

Certificate in Medical Genomics

Recommended Preparation

-prerequisites for any Peralta allied health program

-computer literacy

-expository writing skills

-good science background

Your instructors may suggest supplementary courses appropriate to your employment objectives.

Instructors

Our instructors are excellent teachers who also have extensive backgrounds in biomedical research and Ph.Ds. in Biology.

Equipment

We have an amazing array of state-of-the-art and brand new Genomics systems.

-Covaris LE220R DNA Shearer.

-Tissue culture and molecular bio lab facilities.

-CryoPrep cryogenic tissue extractor.

-Genetix QPix2XT with stacking robotic colony picker.

-Genetix QFill3 with stacking, a liquid handling instrument that leads into colony picking.

-Genetix QArray2 Slide Imprinter, accompaniedby a Tecan HSPro Hybridization station, Stratagene Polylinker, and Molecular Devices 4 laser Axon scanner.

-and more…

Are you a researcher? Contact us about collaboration opportunities!

Internships/Externships

We assist you with obtaining work experience in your targeted career field. We can guide you to internships and externships ranging fromlocal to international academic, biotech and biomedical labs.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Medical Genomics Certificate of Achievement

The Certificate in Medical Genomics offers a unique opportunity to study DNA, from a biomedical perspective. SNP detection and genetic disease detection will be emphasized, along with bacterial and viral disease identification. Mastery of sample preparation, operation, and analysis of DNA using the most modern sequencers and preparatory instruments will be emphasized.

Many of the courses are night/weekend courses.

We try our best to accommodate the needs of our students.

Certificate Courses and Units - updated regularly

CHEM 030A Introductory General Chemistry 4

CHEM 030B Introductory Organic and Biochemistry 4

BIOL 004 Human Physiology 5

BIOSC 030 Genomics Theory 4

BIOSC 042 Mining GenBank 3

BIOSC 032 Good Laboratory Practices in Genomics 1

BIOSC 031 Practical Genomics 4

BIOSC 037 Principles of Long Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 1

BIOSC 040 DNA Shearing Techniques for Shotgun Sequencing in Genomics 3

BIOSC 041 Microfluidic Electrophoresis 1

BIOSC 060 Personalized (Desk-top)Sequencing 3

BIOSC 033 Research Design in Genomics 1

BIOSC 050 Genetic Diseases 4

BIOSC 051 Medical Genomics 3

BIOSC 090 Internship in Genomics 3

BIOSC 061 Sequence Analysis Using MacVector 1

BIOSC 062 Methodologies in Phylogenetics Using PAUP

BIOSC 063 Intro to Character Tracing with MacClade

Total Units 45

For up to date course information, see

genomics.weebly.com

Once you’ve completed the certificate you will be able to…

confidently operate a wide variety of genomics instrumentation.

master diverse bioinformatics software programs.

prepare specimens for DNA sequencing.

design experiments, critically analyze data, and report results.

troubleshoot problems with sample preparation, DNA sequencing, and sequence analysis.

assess and utilize new biomedical genomics technologies.

obtain employment in biotech, biomedicine, high tech and other growth fields.

“Predictive genomics may make medical practice in the near future radically different from the medicine of today.” - Terry Grossman

“For the first time ever, physicians have the tools to help their patients employ truly preventive medicine”. - Flower et al., Technological Advances and the Next 50 Years of Cardiology,

J.Amer Coll Cardiol, 35:(4):1082-1091.