Techniques in DNA-Based Biotechnology

Course Description

The development of powerful tools in molecular biology has led to an explosion in our understanding of genes and the factors controlling their expression. Illuminating research, including recent Nobel Prize winning work, is beginning to reveal the significant role of RNA, a molecule long thought to be merely a "messenger."

Through extensive laboratory work, students in this course will acquire skills used in current research in molecular biology while examining the many ways in which these tools are being used in both research and in the development of medical treatments. The limited class size provides an opportunity for extensive, independent, but closely supervised laboratory learning. Emphasis will be placed on recombinant DNA technique, Polymerase Chain Reaction, DNA-based medical diagnosis, and control of gene expression. Students with permission will do a large-scale extraction of their own DNA and use it to perform a series of analyses including tissue typing.

Prerequisites: Completion of a high school biology course is required and it is highly recommended that students have also taken chemistry.