BIOTECHNOLOGY
(BiSc 180/180W)
A useful definition of Biotechnology is provided by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA): “Biotechnology is defined generally as the use of living organisms to
produce products beneficial to mankind. It is the application of biological organisms to technical
and industrial processes. It involves the use of “novel” microbes, which have been altered or
manipulated by humans through techniques of genetic engineering.” This course will provide a
comprehensive survey of the principles and applications of biotechnology to industrial
fermentations, the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, waste and pollution management,
medicine, and agriculture. It will also examine the social, environmental and economic impacts
of biotechnology and the many ethical issues raised by its applications.
Course Outline
The Emergence of Modern Biotechnology and its Applications
This section will outline a brief history of the applications of fermentation from pre-history to
the early twentieth century. The modern principles of Bio-Processing: upstream, bio-reactor
and downstream processes, will be discussed in detail with illustrative examples.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
 Have an appreciation of the scope of biotechnology
 Know that biotechnology is not a science but an application of science
 Realize that biotechnology encompasses more than genetic engineering, including
fermentation technology, cell culture, breeding and other forms of biological
manipulations.
 Understand the National Academy of Science’s concept of the biorefinery and its
importance.
Biofuels
The production of Biofuels is an important contemporary application of biotechnology. We will
examine the production and utilization of important biofuels such as bioethanol, biodiesel,
biogas and biological hydrogen. The biological principles behind these technologies will be
examined in detail. We will also consider the scientific, economic and environmental problems
associated with biofuel production and use.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Be able to identify the sources of global energy for biofuel production, both nonrenewable and renewable sources.
Understand the principles of ethanol fermentation and the organisms involved.
Be able to compare the scopes of the U.S. and Brazilian programs, and identify their
successes and drawbacks.
Know how biodiesel is made and its relative advantages and disadvantages as an energy
source. Be aware of the microbial evolution of methane and hydrogen and how they can
be harnessed as energy fuels.
Be critically aware of the environmental, economic and social impacts of biofuel
production.
“White Biotechnology”
“White Biotechnology” is the modern application of industrial microbiology to the manufacture
of a broad range of products from antibiotics to waste management. This section will examine
the biological principles of these applications with selected examples.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Learn about bio-nutrition and the manufacture of Single Cell Protein (SCP) for human
and animal nutrition.
Learn how enzymes and immobilized enzymes are made.
Have an understanding of how antibiotics are produced by microbes and the modern
manufacture of these compounds. They will also understand how the mass manufacture
of penicillin in the United States revolutionized biotechnology.
Know about waste management in urban and rural areas and the uses of bioremediation
and phytoremediation for environmental management.
“Red Biotechnology”: Manipulating the Expression of Heterologous Genes
This section will examine the invention, principles and applications of recombinant DNA
techniques (or genetic engineering) and some of the procedures used in modern genomics,
such as DNA sequencing, site-specific mutagenesis and PCR. Attention will be given to
applications for obtaining the large-scale production of proteins of medical importance.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Understand the basics of recombinant DNA technology and be able to work out
problems in restriction mapping and strategies for DNA cloning.
Know about gene characterization using the modern methods of genomics.
Learn how gene cloning methods have been extending to yeast and fungi.
Understand the principles and practice of expressing cloned genes in living organisms.
Describe the large-scale production of proteins of biological and medical importance in
bacterial, yeast and animal cell hosts.
Disease Detection and DNA Fingerprinting
This extensive section will focus on the use of DNA detection methods, such as RFLP, VNTR, STR
and SNP for identifying disease alleles. Numerous examples, including Huntingdon’s Disease
(HD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and sickle-cell anemia, will be examined to illustrate the principles of
these techniques, and some of their limitations. Experimental methods for correcting certain of
these deficiencies by gene therapy will also be related. Another important topic that will be
covered is the use of these techniques for forensic analysis. Finally, because many ethical
problems related these applications have arise, we will look carefully at the history of gene
testing in history, including an examination of eugenics in the United States in the early part of
the twentieth century.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Relearn the basics of human pedigree analysis and karyotyping and their uses for
inherited disease analysis.
Know the principles of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and be
able to work out problems related to RFLP.
Be able to describe modern methods for the molecular diagnosis of inherited diseases,
such as STR and SNP.
Learn how these techniques have been harnessed for forensic analysis and patent
protection and be able to work out problems on DNA fingerprinting.
Know how gene therapy is used for the correction of disease alleles.
Have a grasp of the ethical concerns arising from these technologies and their
applications.
“Green Biotechnology”: Agricultural Applications of Biotechnology
This broad area will cover the multifarious biotechnologies applied for the improvement of crop
plants. These discussions will cover modern plant breeding methods, plant culture techniques
and genetic engineering approaches. A broad survey of GM crops will be undertaken, and the
advantages and disadvantages of GM crops examined critically with selected examples drawn
from the United States and other countries. Alternatives to GM crops, based on the principles
of agro-ecology will also be presented.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Develop an appreciation for the importance of agriculture and the theories advanced for
its historical origins.
Be able to distinguish between polycultural and monocultural practices in agriculture.
Know about modern methods for plant breeding, the invention of hybrid varieties of
crops, and their impact on the “Green Revolution”.
Learn about the genetic modification of crop plants (GM crops) using genetic
engineering techniques, with selected examples. They will also be made aware of both
the advantages and disadvantages of this technology.
Have an understanding of the arguments against GM crops.
Be aware of sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology as alternative biotechnologies.
Biotechnology and Modern Society
This final section will examine topics related to biotechnology, such as human cloning. We will
also take a look at popular conceptions of biotechnology and its impact on modern culture.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Learn about somatic and germ cell gene therapies, including stem cell, therapeutic and
human cloning.
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Be exposed to examples of biotechnology in popular culture, such as film, novels and
social attitudes.
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Be aware of employment opportunities in biotechnology in the United States and
abroad, but especially in research, medicine and industry in the Washington, D.C. area.
TEXTBOOK
Introduction to Biotechnology. William J. Thieman and Michael J. Palladino.
Benjamin/Cummings. 2010 (Available in the bookstore)
Additional reading material will be posted regularly on Blackboard. Please consult
Announcements and Files on a regular basis.
ASSIGNMENTS (BiSc 180)
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First Examination: Short answer and essay topics on Biofuels and “White
Biotechnology”.
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Second Examination: Problems on restriction mapping and DNA cloning.
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Third Examination: Problems on genomics and the applications of DNA fingerprinting to
disease detection and forensic analysis.
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Fourth Examination: Short answer and essay topics on “Green Biotechnology”.
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Fifth Examination (Final): Comprehensive examination, including problems and essay
topics, on the modern scope of biotechnology.
ASSIGNMENTS (BiSc 180W)
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Review Paper on Biofuels
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Peer Review
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Problems on restriction mapping and DNA cloning.
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Problems on genomics and the applications of DNA fingerprinting to disease detection
and forensic analysis.
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PowerPoint Presentation on a selected aspect of Green Biotechnology.
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Review (Final) on eugenics and biotechnology, and aspects of human gene therapies.
GRADING SCALE
Score
Grade
>95
A
94-90
A-
89-85
B+
84-80
B
79-75
B-
74-70
C+
69-65
C
64-60
C-
59-55
D
COURSE AND EXAMINATIONS POLICIES
Complete attendance of lectures is required. Regular roll-calls will be taken. Students who
cannot attend a lecture or laboratory must inform the instructor beforehand. Delinquent
students will be issued one warning only: thereafter, continued failure to attend classes will
result in either a lowered grade or dismissal from, and failure of, the course.
All assignments are due on the appointed dates. Late submissions will not be graded.
Exceptions will be considered only in the case of illness (when a doctor’s note will be required)
or family emergency. You are expected to be familiar with and abide by the Code of Academic
Integrity. Any violation will be reported at once to the Office of Academic Integrity and may
result in immediate dismissal from the course
INSTRUCTOR
David Morris
404 Bell Hall or 349 Lisner Hall. 4-3882; 4-0996. E-mail: morrisd@gwu.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday mornings: 8 to 10 a.m.