Skip to main content

BB2485 Metabolic Engineering 7.5 credits

Choose semester and course offering

Choose semester and course offering to see current information and more about the course, such as course syllabus, study period, and application information.

Application

For course offering

Spring 2025 Start 14 Jan 2025 programme students

Application code

61019

Headings with content from the Course syllabus BB2485 (Spring 2024–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

  • Metabolic pathways for production of organic acids, amino acids, alcohols, monomers, and polymers.
  • The underlying concept behind balancing the above pathways, based on elemental, redox and energy balance.
  • Metabolic control analysis.
  • Metabolic engineering strategies.
  • Metabolic flux analysis (MFA).
  • The concepts of genome-scale stoichiometric metabolic models.
  • The use of genome-scale models for designing metabolic engineering strategies.
  • The inclusion of thermodynamic constraints in genome-scale stoichiometric models.
  • State-of-the-art genome-scale modelling, combining stoichiometry, proteomics and metabolomics.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the students should be able to:

  • Quantitatively describe metabolic pathways for production of industrially relevant fuels and chemicals discussed in the course
  • Characterize the above pathways based on elemental, redox, and energy balances, discuss their engineering requirements, and propose relevant metabolic engineering strategies
  • Construct and solve mathematical representations of metabolic networks, based on provided external measurements
  • Implement genome-scale metabolic modelling for design and evaluation of metabolic engineering strategies

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

Bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering or biotechnology which contains a minimum of 20 credits within the fields of Mathematics, Numerical Analysis and Computer Sciences, 5 of these must be within the fields of Numerical Analysis and Computer Sciences, 30 credits of Chemistry, possibly including courses in Chemical Measuring Techniques and 20 credits of Biotechnology or  Molecular Biology.

Recommended prerequisites

No information inserted

Equipment

No information inserted

Literature

No information inserted

Examination and completion

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • PRO1 - Assignment in metabolic modelling, 2.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • TEN1 - Written exam, 5.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination

No information inserted

Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination

No information inserted

Examiner

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

Main field of study

Biotechnology

Education cycle

Second cycle

Add-on studies

No information inserted