Presentation of the Course and introduction to Molecular Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.
At a glance:
- Presentation
- Why Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis are Important (Brown Ch01)
- The circular Bio economy
- Exciting examples of the application of molecular genetics
- Bioinformatics and DNA / Sequence databases / Checksums
Presentation - What is this course about?
Course Structure:
- T (Theoretical) classes
- **TP (Theoretical-Practical) ** classes
- PL (Laboratory) classes — mandatory
This course introduces and integrates molecular biology and molecular biotechnology with a practical introduction to bioinformatics.
The goal is to understand how and why DNA is manipulated in the lab and how biological data are analysed and interpreted using bioinformatics tools.
The TP classes focus on searching for, comparing and interpreting sequences from databases and in-silico simulation of widely used cloning methods.
The laboratory class is a plasmid construction project that demonstrate both molecular biology techniques as well as the strategy needed for the construction of a new plasmid vector. The laboratory course is divided into nine sessions of which each student takes part in three.
👉 The course emphasizes why and when to use techniques, not just how.
A personal laptop is required for TP work.
Assessmen
Final grade comprises:
- 30% – Theoretical Test 1 (blue chapters)
- 30% – Practical Bioinformatics Tes
- 30% – Theoretical Test 2 (green chapters + Laboratory class content)
- 10% – TP assignments
Attendance and completion of PL are mandatory to pass.
Practical Focus
Students are expected to:
- Understand complete cloning workflows
- Interpret PCR, gel, and colony PCR results
- Work independently with bioinformatics tools
- Connect experimental results with in-silico analysis
The practical test evaluates reasoning and interpretation, not memorization.
Skills You Should Gain
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Explain DNA manipulation strategies
- Design and analyse cloning experiments
- Use bioinformatics tools critically
- Interpret molecular biology data
- Integrate lab results with computational analysis
Why Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis Are Importan
Brown chapter 01 explains why gene cloning and DNA analysis are central to modern biology, medicine, and biotechnology. Seminal experiments in genetics. The advent of restriction enzymes and gene cloning. DNA topology, sequence file formats. Primary vs secondary databases.
Core Ideas
- DNA stores the information required for cell structure, function, development, and inheritance.
- Gene cloning allows specific DNA fragments to be isolated and amplified.
- DNA analysis enables comparison, identification, and functional study of genes.
Why Gene Cloning Is Needed
- Individual genes represent only a tiny fraction of a genome.
- Cloning makes it possible to study genes in detail, produce large amounts of DNA, and express genes in heterologous hosts.
Applications
- Medicine: diagnostics, genetic diseases, therapeutics
- Biotechnology: recombinant proteins and enzymes
- Research: gene function and regulation
- Agriculture: genetically modified crops
Key Take-Home Message
Understanding biology at the molecular level requires the ability to clone and analyse DNA.
The circular bio economy
A circular bioeconomy is an economic model that uses renewable biological resources (plants, algae, microbes, organic residues, food waste, manure, forestry/agri by-products) to produce food, materials, chemicals, and energy, while keeping resources in use for as long as possible through reuse, cascading use, and recycling to minimize waste and fossil fuel inputs.
Key ideas
- Bioeconomy: replace fossil-based inputs with biomass and biological processes (e.g., fermentation, biocatalysis).
- Circularity: design systems where by-products become inputs elsewhere (closing loops).
Core principles
- Cascading use of biomass: prioritize higher-value uses first (e.g., materials/chemicals) before energy recovery.
- Waste as feedstock: valorize residues (e.g., whey → lactic acid; spent grain → fibers/protein).
- Regeneration: maintain soil, biodiversity, water quality; avoid over-extraction of biomass.
- Life-cycle thinking: measure real impacts (GHG, land use, water, toxicity), not just “bio-based”.
Exciting examples of the application of molecular genetics
A number of modern results of the application of molecular genetics.
Bioinformatics and DNA / Sequence databases / Checksums
How DNA and other biological sequences are represented as text. Sequence file formats. How DNA structure and topology affects how we interpret DNA in text format. How we can use checksums to keep track of sequences.
Literature
Brown T. Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis - An Introduction 8ed (2020)
- Chapter 01 Why Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis are Importan