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Course module: UCSCIBIO32
UCSCIBIO32
Advanced Biotechnology
Course info
Course codeUCSCIBIO32
EC7.5
Course goals
After completing this course students are able to:
  • explain the core science and techniques of modern biotechnology, its large-scale applications, and its impact on society,
  • interpret the latest articles in leading biotechnology journals,
  • apply this knowledge to the discussion of issues that society faces as a result of new technologies in the field.
Content
Biotechnology is the application of biological principles, organisms, and products for practical purposes. In this sense, biotechnology is as old as civilization because processes such as making bread, wine, and cheese, raising crops, and breeding domestic animals can thus be regarded as biotechnology. However, the tremendous advances in biological knowledge and the development of new techniques in the past decades have caused a true revolution in the field. These new techniques make it possible to change the genetic makeup of organisms at will, to develop customized drugs for diseases, and to produce new strains of bacteria for the cleaning of polluted water and soils. In this course, the key concepts in the field are presented and the present and future uses of biotechnology are explored. Special attention is paid to the impact of new biotechnological developments on society.

 
Format
The course covers approximately 200 hours and consists of two parts
Part I (approximately 110 hours)
During the class meetings, which are held twice a week, the theory and concepts of several selected topics of biotechnology are presented through introductory lectures and lectures given by experts in the field. In the remaining time, students perform self-study, including reading and presenting research papers and other assignments related to a certain topic. This part is followed by a written exam.
Part II (approximately 90 hours)
In the second part, other aspects of biotechnology are introduced, such as intellectual property rights, impact on society, and the marketability of biotechnological product. The students have to work in pairs to invent a novel biotechnological product and write a business idea. To be able to do so, they have to find and critically read and analyze literature. They finally have to present their biotechnological invention by oral presentation and to review the business ideas of the other students.
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Kies de Nederlandse taal