DESIGNATION: Required
DESCRIPTION: Introduction to processing techniques used in biotechnology industries. The entire process of product development will be covered, including the creation and culture of recombinant organisms to synthesize a protein product, and the extraction, purification, immobilization and assay of the final product.
PREREQUISITE: BIOL 2170; CHEM 1240; MATH 1860 or 1930
TEXTBOOK: Life, The science of biology; Purves, Sadava, Orians, and Heller; Sinauer Associates Inc.
OBJECTIVES: The experiments in this course have been designed to represent the process by which a biotechnology product is developed and manufactured. After developing basic biological techniques, you will create a recombinant organism that produces a protein product of interest. You will grow this organism and then extract, purify, and assay the product. In this way, you will get a feel for the world of biotechnology.
This course has been designated at a University Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course. As a result, the course will be writing-intensive, and written assignments will be graded for grammar and clarity as well as content.
TOPICS COVERED: Tour the lab, bench assignments
Sterile technique, microplate reader/spectrophotometer software demo
Aseptic technique, cell mass determination, and microscopy
Isolation of plasmid DNA, restriction digests, agarose gel electrophoresis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Bacterial transformation using electroporation and calcium heat shock
Batch growth and nutrient uptake
Fermentation
Cell lysis and protein purification by ammonium sulfate fractionation
Protein purification by gel filtration chromatography
Protein purification by affinity chromatography
Enzyme kinetics
SCHEDULE: 2 - 50 minute lectures per week and 1 - 3 hour and 50 minute lab per week
CONTRIBUTION: Engineering Topics
OUTCOMES: This course will develop the following skills that are required of bioengineering graduates:
(b) An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
(d) An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
(g) An ability to communicate effectively
(k) An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
(8a) An understanding of biology and physiology
(8c) The ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems, addressing the problems associated with the interaction between living and non-living materials and systems
PREPARED BY: Scott Molitor (smolitor@eng.utoledo.edu) and Tamara Phares (tphares@eng.utoledo.edu)