Overview
The aim of this course is to provide a
thorough understanding of current molecular
biotechnology–the theoretical foundations,
the techniques employed, and the widespread
applications of this technology in contemporary
science and society. The primary focus
of the course will be on medical biotechnology,
with applications to agriculture and the
environment also discussed. The
goals of the course include developing the ability to
comprehend primary literature utilizing
molecular biotechnology, to understand how these
techniques were developed, to identify
the range of applications of biotechnology, and to
gain a feel for the ethical and legal
aspects of biotechnology. In order to accomplish these
goals the course will be divided into
three parts. Part I will review the fundamentals of
molecular biology and molecular techniques.
Part II will entail an in depth treatment of
molecular biotechnology that focuses on
specific applications of biotechnology as reflected
in the current scientific literature.
Part III will conclude the course with a discussion of the
broader ethical and legal aspects of contemporary
biotechnology.
Schedule of Lecture and Discussion Topics
PART I: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES FUNDAMENTALS
8/30
Course Overview: An Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology–Perspective
and
Prospective
9/4
Biochemical Basis of Applied Molecular Genetics (Chapter
1)
9/6
Laboratory Tools for Molecular Genetic Applications (Chapter
2)
9/11
Overview of Gene Analysis Methods (Chapter 3)
9/13
Characterization of Genomic DNA (Chapter 4)
9/18
Isolation and Characterization of Gene Transcripts (Chapter
5)
9/20
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (Chapter 6)
9/25
Expression of Cloned Genes in Cultured Cells (Chapter 7)
9/27
Constructions of Transgenic Multicellular Organisms (Chapter
8)
10/2
Contemporary and Applied Molecular Genetics (Chapter 9)
PART II: APPLICATIONS OF MOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY
10/4
Environmental Biotechnology
10/9
Agricultural Biotechnology
10/11
(continued)
10/18
Medical Diagnostics: The Human (and other) Genome Project(s), the
Discovery of
Disease Genes, and the Problem of Human Individual Variation
10/23
(continued)
10/25
Novel Imaging Technologies
10/30
Drug Discovery
11/1 (continued)
11/6
Vaccine Development
11/8
Transplantation Biotechnology
11/13
Stem Cell Technology
11/15
Gene Therapy
11/20
(continued)
11/27
(continued)
PART
III: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES .... AND THE FUTURE
OF MOLECULAR
BIOTECHNOLOGY
11/29
Legal Issues: Patents and the Flow of Scientific Information
12/4
Ethical Issues: Cloning and Beyond ...
12/6
The Future of Biotechnology
Course Format and Grading
The course will be a combination
of lecture and discussion format. For Part I, the
format will be somewhat more lecture-oriented,
with the instructor presenting an overview
of the topic. It is, however, expected
that the lectures will be punctuated with frequent
questions and interactive, energetic discussion.
For this part of the course reading
assignments will be from Roger Miesfeld,
Applied Molecular Genetics (1999). Part II will
focus on applications of biotechnology
to specific topics and will be primarily discussion-
based; following a brief overview of the
topic, there will be in depth analysis of an article
selected from the primary literature.
Students will take turns leading the discussion of the
various topics. The course will
conclude with an overview of the broader social and ethical
aspects of biotechnology. The grade
in the class will be based upon the following: class
participation (30%); three take-home written
assignments and/or problem sets (30%); a
final written assignment that focuses
on the application of molecular biotechnology to a
specific problem of your choice. Office
hours are Tues. 1-2, Wed. 11-12, Thurs. 1-2 and
by appointment; my office is located in
Millington, Rm. 314. I can be reached by phone
(1-2407 or 253-2472) or e-mail (mssaha@facstaff.wm.edu).