BIOS 2640 - Molecular Biology Techniques

6.0 Credits

This is the fourth course in the introductory biotechnology sequence. Students build on foundational laboratory skills as they learn molecular biology laboratory techniques used in applied biotechnology settings. Students explore molecular and cellular laboratory techniques such as DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, Western blot, and basic bioinformatics.

Prerequisites: (3) BIOS 2620, BIOS 1450 and CHEM 1212

Lecture Hours: 4.5
Lab Hours: 4.5
Internship Hours: 0.0
Clinical or Practicum Hours: 0.0

Course Objectives

Define molecular biology and describe the different facets of the industry related to biotechnology.
Apply safety rules and regulations in accordance with laboratory activities performed.
Maintain laboratory notebooks and records consistent with Good Documentation Practices (GDP).
Use spectrophotometric and gel-based methods to isolate, quantify, and analyze nucleic acids.
Perform PCR reactions for gene amplification and analysis.
Perform restriction digestion of DNA and bacterial transformation.
Express and characterize recombinant proteins using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.
Conduct DNA fingerprinting analysis to examine genetic variation or confirm identity.
Analyze gene sequences utilizing bioinformatics tools such as BLAST, NCBI, and multiple sequence alignment.

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