Bachelor in Bioinformatics and Genetics

In today’s world, molecular biology, biochemistry, and other biological fields are becoming increasingly information driven. Mainly the need of processing massive quantities of sequence information generated by recent developments in genome sequencing and proteome analysis has propelled these life sciences into a new era in which computer science, information technologies, and biology merged into a single discipline as bioinformatics. Accordingly, genetics in conjunction with bioinformatics have been changing the old view in clinical diagnostics. By comprehensive genetic testing, individuals who are more susceptible to disease can be identified before any disease even exists. This way early predictive measures can be taken. Moreover personalized drug design, to tailor a specialized treatment based on your genetic makeup, seems to be a standard way of disease treatment in the near future.

In our department, we concentrate on computer-aided drug design. In computer-aided drug design, a receptor molecule of the disease-causing mechanism is modeled in the computer. Succeedingly a drug molecule is designed to interact with the receptor molecule in such a way to fix the malfunctioning mechanism of the protein. The candidate drug molecule can be a novel chemical structure which has been not synthesized before as well as a match from a database of already known drug molecules. This way of in silico computations of drug-enzyme interactions significantly shortens the process of experimental drug design for the target receptor.

Dynamics of the receptors to which drug molecules bind to is another field of study in our department. Understanding the functioning mechanism of the receptor is the very first step towards developing a way to interfere with its working mechanism. These receptor molecules are dynamic structures and the structural fluctuations in their dynamics are related to how they function Thus we are aiming to understand how these dynamic structures are functioning depending on different environmental factors.

We are also interested in enhanced simulation techniques to investigate the functional dynamics of ion channel membrane proteins. Malfunctioning of ion channels is directly related to various neuro and neuromuscular diseases, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. These proteins are very hard to simulate due to the lack of experimental structural information in addition to their size when lipid bilayer is included. Thus enhanced sampling and simulation techniques, as well as advanced homology modeling methods are necessary for a better understanding of their dynamics.

Beta2-adrenergic receptors, phosphodiesterase IV, GABA-A receptors, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, triosephosphate isomerase are some of the protein systems that we are also interested in.

Qualification Awarded / Level of Qualification

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be awarded Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics and Genetics (The Qualifications frameworks in the European Higher Education Area, QF-EHEA: Level 1, European Qualifications Framework (EQF-LLL): Level 6 )

Recognition of Prior Learning

Students may be exempted from some of the courses they have succeded in the previous program, if they have not been counted towards a degree already, based on the decision of the Exemption Regulations of KHAS. Courses taken by students coming with "Direct Transfer Test" (DGS) from an associate degree program will also be evaluated based on Exemption Regulations of KHAS.

Graduation Requirements

Students are required to successfully complete all courses in the curriculum accepted by the Senate (240 ECTS Credits) and have a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.00/4.00. In addition, each student must complete 40 days compulsory internship.

Definition of the Program

The undergraduate program for Bioinformatics and Genetics aims at gathering various kind of data on the biological system, transferring these data digital environment, processing these data using computer algorithms and constructing models to understand an organism. The obtained results are used to understand the living systems, to design drugs targeting these mechanisms; thus indirectly this discipline contributes to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Besides this, Bioinformatics and Genetics Undergraduate program aims at providing fundamental theoretical and practical knowledge for DNA sequence analysis and genetic manipulation.

Access to Further Studies

Upon successful completion of the undergraduate program, candidates can go on to graduate programs based on their GPA and admission criteria of the applied graduate program.

Evaluation Questionnaires

Course and Instructor Evaluation Survey, Graduation Survey, Student Satisfaction Survey

International Cooperation

Exchange (North America, Europe, and Asia), Double Diploma ( Montana State U., Purdue U. at Indianapolis, Rollins) ve ERASMUS+ (with 13 universities in 9 countries) programs.