Studying the Human Body: The Little Stuff and the Big Stuff

The human body can be studied both at the smallest level of ions and molecules and at the largest level of systems that affect the physiology of the whole organism. I will talk about both levels in this lecture.  Diseases are often mediated by changes to cells at the level of DNA. One group of proteins in particular has been shown to be more active in colon cancer tissue than in surrounding non-involved tissue. My laboratory has used DNA techniques to investigate the role of these protein changes in colon tumor formation. I will also share experiments using DNA for forensic applications. Finally, I will demonstrate the study of the human body at the level of the body system.