MBB303   Cells as Factories   (10 credits)

Description

Biotechnology uses biological systems (cells) to produce valuable and novel products. The cells are often unicellular organisms such as bacteria or yeast, but could also for example be eukaryotic cells (such as CHO cells) or complete organisms such as plants. Where possible, industry is moving towards a 'plug and play' approach, often described under the general heading of Synthetic Biology. The aim of this module is to explore the complexities underlying biotechnology, including the interactions of different gene products and reactions, often grouped together under the term systems biology, and look to see how such problems are solved. Students will learn to appreciate the complexity of biological systems, the associated difficulties of predicting biological behaviour in areas such as industrial biotechnology and drug development, and emerging approaches to overcome these challenges. Students will work both individually and in small groups, to develop presentation skills and the critical skills required for the evaluation of primary literature. The module aims to: A1: allow students to develop an overall view of Systems and Synthetic biology, and investigate important research areas relating to biotechnology in depth by discussion and associated coursework. A2: provide students with the opportunity to critically evaluate scientific papers from the fields of Synthetic and Systems Biology and their relevance to biotechnology. A3: provide students with a critical overview of the challenges in translating current research into practice.

Reading List