Inquiry Exercise 21 - Identifying a factor that changes phenotype - The Griffith experiment Redux

Challenge:  To identify the factor that confers resistance to ampicillin.

Students are provided with almost identical bacterial strains that only differ in their sensitivity to ampicillin.  Students review classic experiments on the factors that confer phenotype. They then design experiments to isolate and  confirm the function of factors that militate resistance to ampicillin.

Milestone

Functional demonstration

Inquiry Exercise 18 - Fall 2013 - Student Results

Excellent work , all groups  were successfull in making DNA  ! Milestone validations are  below !

Inquiry Exercise 25 - The Diagnosis of AIDS

Challenge  -  To  develop  an assay for AIDS

Students  will review the  molecular basis of AIDS and will develop a diagnostic assay.  In these deliberations,  students  should  consider the basic  principles of  protein-protein interactions  as  outlined in the General Biology and Basic Techniques in Biotechnology course.

As in typical inquiry exercises , discuss with your group,  ask for materials  and perform experiments that may convince the instructor that you have indeed  established such an assay. 

The milestone  will be the  diagnosis of a provided set of serum samples ( N.B.   these samples  are mimics and are not real human samples ).   

Inquiry Exercise 20 - An Assay to Diagnose Cancer.

Challenge - Devise a serum  diagnostic assay  for Cancer

You have formed a small company  that seeks to  market a test that can  diagnose cancer before it is clinically apparent.  Angel investors have provided 5 million dollars.   In your analysis of the  current literature,  you have noted that  it has been observed that  tumor cells can shed cell content into  blood. Thus, it should be possible to identify such cell content in a serum sample  and predict the presence of cancer  before it is clinically observable.

  As in typical inquiry exercises , discuss with your group,  ask for materials  and perform experiments that may convince the instructor that you have indeed  established such an  assay.

The milestone of this inquiry exercise   will  be  the  correct diagnosis of a provided set of  patient sera ( N.B.  these are mimics and not real human sera ) .

Inquiry exercise 18 - Can you make DNA ?

Histopathologists at work !

This video  illustrates a real case study and the discussions  necessary to make conclusions  about immunohistochemical staining.

Is this site working on your mobile device ?

Given that desktop computers have almost disappeared and that it is only a  very small minority who still use laptops , the majority of  students now view  material through their own favorite  mobile device.  However, there is a huge variety of mobile platforms . So let us know if  this site works on your device and feel free to make suggestions to make access easier and faster.   

Amylase becomes a celebrity ?

Many think that  having a sense of humor   is key  to developing a critical  sense in science. This  feature from ONION ,  the well known  satirical web  site  offers a humorous  opportunity ! 

What is a Histotechnologist ?

Histotechnology is a sub discipline of Biotechnology.  It involves skills in preparing  tissue for microscopic analysis and   more recent techniques such as  IHC (Immunohistochemistry) and FISH  (Fluorescent in-Situ Hybridization) . This article provides links to careers in Histotechnolog. 

Basic Techniques in Biotechnology will be offered at Capital in Spring 2014

We are delighted to announce that  Basic Techniques in Biotechnology,   the gateway course to the  Associate  Degree program in Biotechnology  will be offered at Capital in Spring  2014.  This 4-credit course provides an introduction to the basic lab  skills needed by a Biotechnologist.  Such basic skills include accurate pippetting, preparation of solutions, growth of bacteria, basic microscopy, Bioinformatics, preparation of  DNA,  measuring  proteins and nucleic acids using NanoDrop Spectroscopy,  agarose gel electrophoresis,  PCR amplification  and subcloning of DNA fragments. 

For further information  email Dr Cleo Rolle 

An Excellent Talk on Selective Somatic Mutation Therapies in Cancer

This video produced by AACR,  presents a clear  summary of the current biotechnology   approaches to mutation directed cancer  therapies.

Organic Odorants are finding a Market

This article in the Times summarizes the current drive to produce natural odorants via synthetic biology.

Coverting Smart Phone to Digital Microcope

This article describes how to make a very economical  digital microscope  from a smart phone. Such devices will empower students to capture images of  Inquiry-based laboratory exercises.

Quest introduces BRCA1/2 test

Quest Diagnostics To Offer Cheaper Version Of Myriad's Breast Cancer Genetic Test

Biotechnology Training in the 21st Century

 An interesting article in Nature Biotechnology indicates trends that are important for training in  Biotechnology in the 21st century:
 "The introductory analysis highlights a common theme addressed by all interviewees and points to a clear shift in the industry's demand for talent away from the senior scientist positions that tend to be more highly specialized and narrowly focused, to a talent pool consisting of individuals who have interdisciplinary academic training with the ability to work broadly across multiple areas and in project teams where not everyone has to be an expert in everything. Specific skill sets desired among scientists, engineers, clinicians and management teams who work within the industry include strong communications skills that facilitate the translation of the science effectively to stakeholders, a commercial market-based mindset versus an academic mindset, the ability to apply skills to real world problems, comfort with big data management, the capacity to be creative and the willingness to push boundaries."

Nobel Prize for Medicine 2013

"Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology after discovering how cells precisely transport material."

New Biotech Test for Prostate Cancer; Unlike PSA Test, is Ultra-Specific for Prostate Cancer

This article describes a more selective assay for prostate cancer. Unlike the PSA test which can simply indicate inflammation. This test measure the presence of a unique RNA derived from a gene fusion event which is specific to prostate cancer cells. 

The Next-Generation Sequencing Revolution and Its Impact on Genomics

A superb ( and free !)  paper in Cell which reviews cutting edge  sequence analysis .

Google shifts to more complex questions , not just key words !

An interesting article in the Times on the revamping of Google search algorithm

Algae produced oils go mainstream

Unilever has decided to buy large quantities  of oil produced from algae designed by solazyme .