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******UPDATE MARCH 17 2018. THIS COURSE HAS MOVED TO CANVAS. There you will find all updated course information and assignments. You can still find some information here, but it will no longer be updated********

Gene Technology BB1190

This is a course for first-year students in Biotechnology. The main purpose of the course is to expose students to the "philosophy" of genetic engineering and train them to apply an engineering eye to biology. We will explore some of the key concepts of genetic engineering, with large focus on "genes" and DNA. Conventional and exotic applications will be covered. 

Course Content

Fundamentals:

• The distinction between "biology" and "biotechnology"
• DNA assembly: How to write, copy, cut, and paste DNA in vitro and in vivo.
• DNA sequencing: Methods to read DNA, a little or a lot 
• The structure of genomes from simple to complex
• How to "edit" the genome in a living organism
• How to regulate the expression of a gene at different levels
• Creating genetic "libraries," why and how to use them

Applications:

• Creating life or resurrecting life: building new genomes
• Gene therapy
• White biotechnology: New proteins
• White biotechnology: Cell factories for sustainable production
• Synthetic biology: Performing logic with DNA
• Vaccines
• Antibiotics

Learning objectives

• Illustrate the levels of control of gene expression and protein function in a prokaryote
• Select the appropriate DNA cloning method for a given gene or metabolic pathway and describe the resulting vector elements
• Compare methods for creating a protein to perform a given enzymatic function
• Describe genomics- and proteomics-based techniques to identify disease biomarkers
• Outline the generation and production of a novel biologic-based treatment for cancer or viral disease

Courses that you are expected to have completed

• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Introduction to Chemical Engineering