This course illustrates how knowledge and principles of biology, biochemistry, and engineering are integrated to create new products for societal benefit. It uses a case study format to examine recently developed products of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries: how a product evolves from initial idea, through patents, testing, evaluation, production, and marketing. Emphasizes scientific and engineering principles; the responsibility scientists, engineers, and business executives have for the consequences of their technology; and instruction and practice in written and oral communication. The topic focus of this class will vary from year to year. This version looks at inflammation underlying many diseases, specifically its role in cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

In this course we will explore the new emerging field of pathogen-induced chronic diseases. Work in this field has redefined the causes of some major disorders, such as ulcers. By reading the primary research literature we will learn about the molecular mechanisms through which pathogens cause disease. The diseases that we cover will be introduced with a short patient case study. We will discuss the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and gastric disease, HPV and cervical cancer, hepatitis C virus and liver disease, Epstein-Barr virus and lymphoma, Cytomegalovirus and atherosclerosis, as well as diabetes and multiple sclerosis. We will study technical advances in the fight against microbes and explore future directions for new treatment strategies of chronic infections and inflammation. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Diabetes is an increasing problem among both adults and children. This unit looks at the way diabetes is managed once it has been diagnosed in order to reduce the risk of further complications. You will look at the role of each member of the team involved in the diabetes annual review and look at the risk factors involved with certain diabetes complications.

The Diabetic Dog educational game, with two related readings, are based on the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded for discovering the hormone insulin, making it possible to treat people suffering from diabetes.
In this game your dog has type 1 diabetes. This is a very serious disease. With proper treatment, however, your dog can live a happy life for many years. When we eat, the blood sugar level in our blood rises, and the hormone insulin is released into the blood stream to regulate the sugar level. A diabetic dog does not produce or properly use insulin and therefore has to get it through injections. Your mission is to take care of your dog and try to avoid letting him/her reach to high or to low levels of blood sugar - the more succesful you are the more money you will get for which you can buy food and upgrade your dog's foodbowl or doghouse!

To reinforce students' understanding of the human digestion process, the functions of several stomach and small intestine fluids are analyzed, and the concept of simulation is introduced through a short, introductory demonstration of how these fluids work. Students learn what simulation means and how it relates to the engineering process, particularly in biomedical engineering. The teacher demo requires vinegar, baking soda, water and aspirin.

The Endocrine Sequence is a two-week unit designed to teach the basic principles of hormone secretion and action and the clinical disorders which result from abnormalities of hormonal activities. Students are expected to be familiar with the functions of the endocrine glands, the structure, secretion and action of the important hormones, and the major clinical endocrine disorders. Emphasis will be placed on understanding pathophysiology and being able to use general principles in endocrine physiology (e.g. negative feedback) or in the management of endocrine disorders (e.g., insulin management) in consideration of specific circumstances and clinical cases.

General Learning Objectives for Immunology

1. To understand the structural and genetic basis of diversity and specificity of immunoglobulins and T cell receptors.
2. To understand the utility of antibodies in many clinical tests for proteins, hormones, etc.
3. To understand the events that hallmark the antigen-independent and antigen-dependent phases of B cell differentiation.
4. To understand the diversity of MHC molecules, and how that diversity differs from immunoglobulin and T cell receptor diversity.
5. To understand how MHC molecules present antigens, and how antigens are processed to before presentation.
6. To understand positive and negative T cell selection in the thymus, and how those events influence the final T cell repertoire.
7. To understand the requirements for T cell activation by antigen, and how the nature of the antigen presenting cell influences the outcome of antigen recognition.
8. To understand that transplantation reactions are mainly the result of T cell recognition of allogeneic MHC molecules.
9. To understand how the effector functions of antibodies, T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and NK cells can eliminate pathogens or lead to pathology.
10. To understand the function of CD4+ Th1, CD4+ Th2 cells, and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in the immune response.
11. To appreciate the multiple roles of cytokines and chemokines in mediating interactions between leukocytes and other leukocytes and between leukocytes and other types of cells.
12. To understand how cells in both innate and acquired immunity can encounter a pathogen first at one site, and then fight an infection at some distal site.

A patient discusses diabetes and how he manages his carbohydrate intake in this video segment from TV 411.

This unit introduces the parts of the body and processes involved in the development of diabetes.

This course presents a unique and challenging perspective on the causes of human disease and mortality. The course focuses on analyses of major causes of mortality in the US since 1900: cancer cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases. Students create analytical models to derive estimates for historically variant population risk factors and physiological rate parameters, and conduct analyses of familial data to separately estimate inherited and environmental risks. The course evaluates the basic population genetics of dominant, recessive and non-deleterious inherited risk factors.

This course presents a unique and challenging perspective on the causes of human disease and mortality. The course focuses on analyses of major causes of mortality in the US since 1900: cancer cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases. Students create analytical models to derive estimates for historically variant population risk factors and physiological rate parameters, and conduct analyses of familial data to separately estimate inherited and environmental risks. The course evaluates the basic population genetics of dominant, recessive and non-deleterious inherited risk factors.

In addition to covering the basics in the Concepts in Endocrine Pathophysiology lecture, the lectures in this course cover a wide range of subjects, from Pituitary Neoplasia to Diabetes and Obesity - Treatment to Goiter and Thyroid Nodular Disease. The course also contains Small Group Discussion sessions which consolidate the concepts and facts acquired during the lectures and pursues the ability to solve common clinical problems in Endocrinology and Metabolism with sample cases and solutions.

This course will start with a survey of basic oxygen radical biochemistry followed by a discussion of the mechanisms of action of cellular as well as dietary antioxidants. After considering the normal physiological roles of oxidants, we will examine the effects of elevated ROS and a failure of cellular redox capacity on the rate of organismal and cellular aging as well as on the onset and progression of several major diseases that are often age-related. Topics will include ROS-induced effects on stem cell regeneration, insulin resistance, heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. The role of antioxidants in potential therapeutic strategies for modulating ROS levels will also be discussed.This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

This exercise demonstrates the crucial role insulin plays in blood glucose homeostasis in mammals. Three pairs of fasted rats are tested in each of three different regimes; one rat of each pair is normal and the other is diabetic. The first pair is administered an oral glucose load and a placebo injection of saline. The second pair is administered an oral glucose load and an insulin injection. The third pair is administered an oral placebo of water and a placebo injection of saline. The blood glucose levels of the six rats are monitored at 20-minute intervals for 2 hours by taking blood samples from each rat's tail.