Module Directory

The basic gene technology part of the module examines the isolation of DNA and RNA, gene cloning, the many applications of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the construction and screening of gene and cDNA libraries, directed mutagenesis techniques, transformation of key organisms and basic lab-based sequencing.

The synthetic biology part of the module will provide an introduction to the key design concepts in synthetic biology which underpin the methods used for rapidly building new biosynthetic pathways using advanced recombinant DNA technology, the construction of novel coding sequences and the synthesis of novel genes and the first synthetic organism.

The aims of this module are:

• To gain an understanding of the impact of gene technology and synthetic biology.


• To explore the applications of genome scale methods for studying gene expression in biotechnology and molecular medicine.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Have an understanding of how manipulation of nucleic acids has been central to the developments made in biotechnology and biology as a whole.


2. Describe the major tools used in gene technology and understand how such tools are used.


3. Explain how molecular techniques can be used in combination to explore biological questions.


4. Have an understanding of the importance of gene technology and of the rapidly developing field of synthetic biology.


5. Have an understanding of the applications of genome scale methods for studying gene expression in biotechnology and molecular medicine.


6. Demonstrate practical competence in key gene manipulation techniques.


7. Have developed a range of key skills including information acquisition from web-based and library sources, self-directed learning, critical analysis of data, numeracy, writing and presentation of scientific reports.

Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)

1. Understanding of classic and contemporary methods in molecular biology.


2. Hands on experience in preparing, manipulating and analysing plasmid DNA.


3. Principles and uses of synthetic biology.


4. Principles of biosensor design and reporter gene construction.


5. Setting up molecular biology reactions.


6. Construction of a plasmid for CRISPR based chromosomal DNA modification.


7. Theory and practical use of PCR and restriction mapping.


8. Effective note taking and attention to detail.


9. Troubleshooting and improvement of experimental design.


10. Improved data analysis and interpretation skills.

The development of techniques to manipulate and analyse nucleic acids has revolutionised the study of biology and provided the key driver for the massive expansion in biotechnology. Subsequent to this has been the emergence of the fields of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics that are now the focus of the most exciting new advances in biotechnology and have led to the emerging discipline of synthetic biology.

Synthetic biology is an emerging area of biotechnology research that can be broadly described as the design and construction of novel artificial biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the re-design of existing natural biological systems (Royal Society, UK).

In addition, DNA fingerprinting methodologies, selection and hybridisation methods will be studied. Finally, the use of reporter genes to measure non-invasively the expression of genes, to set up novel mutant screens and to determine the levels of small molecules in the living cell will be discussed.

The final 3 lectures will be concerned with some of the underpinning technologies in genomics with special emphasis on next generation sequencing as applied to transcriptomics and chromatin immune precipitation techniques.

All of this is underpinned by a series of practical classes which jointly show how CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, an exciting new method, can be used to edit a gene in human cell genomes which is associated with cancer development. The practicals are designed to provide first-hand experience of key procedures and are coordinated with the first 9 lectures of the course to reinforce the theory.

This module will be delivered via:

• Fifteen 1-hour lectures.
• Six 9-hour practical sessions.
• One 4-hour workshop.

In addition, one Mock Exam Paper will be made available on Moodle in the Autumn term for practice and revision purposes for the exam in early January.