This course describes the basic nature if viruses and basic concepts of how they replicate. It looks at traditional methods for propagating and assaying viruses as well as methods to identify and follow them in individuals and populations. It will also look at how we can use molecular genetics to learn how viruses work in molecular detail.
What Are Viruses And How Do We Work With Them?
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What Are Viruses And How Do We Work With Them?
This course is part of Foundations in Virology and Vaccinology Specialization
Instructor: Mike Skinner
Included with 
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level
Recommended experience
11 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Recognise how viruses cause infection
Recognise how vaccines prevent infections
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
11 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Foundations in Virology and Vaccinology Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 5 modules in this course
The names of some viruses are instantly recognisable. The impact on an individual, a family, a community, and beyond, can be devastating. Disease, serious illness, and even death. Others have not been in the spotlight so much in recent years but have been incredible threats to humans and humanity. However, most recent COVID-19 pandemic, has shone a spotlight again on viruses and the fragility of our defences against, existing threats that are constantly mutating, adapting and evolving let alone against newly emerging threats. This week we look at the question: What are viruses?
What's included
6 videos5 readings2 assignments
How do viruses replicate and spread? If we want to understand the fundamental characteristics of viruses, so that we can find ways to tackle them, we need to know how viruses replicate and spread. In this module, we are going to look at virus replication and spread and introduce some terms around these concepts.
What's included
9 videos4 readings2 assignments
To be able to study viruses, we need to be able to isolate and then produce viruses using a process from horticulture called propagation. We can then use cells cultivated in mass quantities using laboratory techniques and pass the isolated virus cells through the cultivated cells to study the effects of the virus in a process called passaging. In this module, we will look at the development of propagation and passaging techniques – how these have evolved over time, and how they have impacted the development and production of vaccines.
What's included
8 videos5 readings3 assignments
There was a lot in the media about variants and mutations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had variants named after where they were first recognised. Then they were given Greek letter identifiers, such as delta and omicron. How important is it to have an understanding of how viruses evolve, and which types of viruses are likely to evolve much quicker than others? What is the impact of mutations on antiviral drug effectiveness? And overall, how are viruses, and the diseases they cause, shaped by mutation, selection and evolution? This week, we will look at virus mutation, their types and consequences, and the evolution of novel viruses through reassortment, recombination, and adaptation.
What's included
5 videos2 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt
Conventional virus genetics talks about the range of genotypes, range of phenotypes, stability and quasispecies. Traditional genetic analysis often involves associating observable phenotypes with genotypes, then mapping the mutations causing those genotypes. Mapping normally involves looking at the genetic linkage between known and unknown genetic markers. In this module, we will look at viral genetics - the approaches used in conventional virus genetics, and the limitations of conventional virus genetics.
What's included
6 videos3 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt
Instructor
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Basic Science
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Novartis
University of California, Irvine
Peking University
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