On November 23 the Nursing Department of the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, together with the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), organized a training session for 2nd year students in the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing on genetic disorders in relation to the academic framework of the subject General Physiopathology.
The masterclass was directed by Dr. María Apellaniz, CNIO member and specialist in pharmacogenetics, and by the Universidad Europea professor Lara Sánchez. The session was structured in the form of theoretical and practical case studies, which gradually increased in difficulty over the three hours of the session.
The content permitted a refresher on basic genetics, including the description of the double helix of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, models of genetic inheritance, gene expression, the Human Genome Project, changes in the DNA sequence, and the laboratory techniques most used in genetics. The students also learned about the application of this knowledge in medicine and research, with an emphasis on pharmacogenetics and its clinical application. The session was also attended by 3rd and 4th year degree program students.