THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Biological Sciences : Postgraduate

Postgraduate Course: Tools for Synthetic Biology (PGBI11092)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Biological Sciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryTools for Synthetic Biology will teach the new tools and techniques being developed and employed in the rapidly expanding field of synthetic biology. The course will seek to teach students the theory behind the methods; encouraging understanding, which will allow new uses and application in alternative areas to become apparent.
Course description 1. Introduction, engineering perspectives, grand challenges.
Alistair Elfick (School of Engineering)

2. Engineering genetic logic and analog circuits.
Giovanni Stracquadanio (School of Biological Sciences)

3. DNA synthesis and assembly methods.
Chris French (School of Biological Sciences)

4. CRISPR-Cas systems.
Elise Cachat (School of Biological Sciences)

5. Expanding the genetic code.
Sebastian Greiss (Edinburgh Medical School)

6. Protein engineering and de novo design.
Chris Wood (School of Biological Sciences)

7. Cell-free biology.
Nadanai Laohakunakorn (School of Biological Sciences)

8. RNA switches.
Sander Granneman (School of Biological Sciences)

9. Next generation sequencing.
Sander Granneman (School of Biological Sciences)

10. Design Project pitches and round table discussions.
Elise Cachat (School of Biological Sciences)

11. Visit of the Edinburgh Genome Foundry.
Rennos Fragkoudis (School of Biological Sciences)
+ Design Project: drop-in session.
Elise Cachat (School of Biological Sciences)
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  40
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Formative Assessment Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 74 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The course will be assessed by:

- A weekly course summary which will require the students to report in 250 words (MAXIMUM) the key learning points from each week. (40%)

- A 2000-word design project to present a synthetic biology tool/approach discussed in class and assess its application to address a new research question. (60%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Analytical skills, ability to assess the pros and cons of new methods
  2. Capacity to recognise the opportunities presented by new biological discoveries
  3. Ability to look at pressing problems from the perspective that these may have an innovative bio-based solution
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Creative thinking
Individual initiative
Time and effort management
KeywordsSynthetic Biology
Contacts
Course organiserDr Elise Cachat
Tel: (0131 6)50 7780
Email: elise.cachat@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Karen Sutherland
Tel: (0131 6)51 3404
Email: Karen.Sutherland@ed.ac.uk
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