PREREQUISITE: 

BIO100 - Human Biology, or BIO101 - General Biology I, or CHE101 - Applied Chemistry

COREQUISITE:  

ENG101 - English Composition or equivalent

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:

Basic Laboratory Methods for Biotechnology, Lisa Seidman and Cynthia J Moore, Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-795535-9

  REQUIRED MATERIALS:  

1. Safety glasses are required for all on-campus sections.
2. Composition notebook is required for laboratory classes.

As the result of instructional activities, students will be able to:

1. Describe applications of biotechnology in diverse fields including environmental science, agriculture, industry, food processing, clinical medicine, forensics and plant and animal population studies.
2. Describe the correct documentation practices followed in laboratories in accordance with GLP and GMP. Read, write and follow protocols, SOPs, MSDSs batch records, training reports and regulatory submissions.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and practice of OSHA, Chemical Hygiene plans and Universal Precautions and work safely with chemicals and biological hazards.
4. Describe the process of monitoring quality in the laboratory including validation of methods such as accuracy, precision, reproducibility, linearity and range.
5. Demonstrate knowledge and use of basic math techniques including scientific notation, common logarithms, proportional relationships, frequency distributions and graphical methods.
6. Demonstrate correct sample and chemical preparation and describe the limits, variability and use of standards, calibration and traceability in measuring weight, volume, temperature and pH.
7. Describe the basic principles, instrumentation, application and methods of spectroscopy, filtration, centrifugation and bioseparation.
8. Describe the elementary principles of biotechnology including recombinant DNA technology, DNA replication, DNA sequencing, Polymerase Chain Reaction, DNA mutation and cloning.
9. Describe the specific methodologies of biotechnology in environmental toxicology and bioremediation (using microbes to clean the environment), fermentation, DNA diagnostics, genetic testing, creation of transgenic plants/animals, gene therapy, gene transfer, plant improvements and production of vaccines.
10. Discuss ethical issues in biotechnology and clinical and medical fields and debate the global impacts in various facets of society.
11. Effectively critique media presentations and reports involving biotechnology and clinical and medical chemistry.

GENERAL TOPICS OUTLINE:

1. Definition of biotechnology and its applications in medicine, food, microbial and plant genetics and forensic science.
2. Introduction to GLP, SOPs, MSDSs and FDA regulations and their applications in the workplace.
3. Solution chemistry; dilutions and concentrations, sterilization and storage of biological solutions.
4. Introduction to laboratory techniques; weights and measures, volume and temperature instrumentation and calibration.
5. Protein structure and analysis; purification and bioseparation techniques and the uses of recombinant hormones and drugs in medicine.
6. Spectroscopy, chromatography and centrifugation techniques.
7. Introduction to the chemistry and function of DNA; basic DNA and molecular biology techniques, DNA profiling and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques.
8. Critical analysis and interpretation of scientific data in biotechnology and clinical and medical fields.

Feel free to contact a member of the Science Department or the Science Department Chair.