Course

Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology

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The 50 plus years since the structure of DNA was solved have been punctuated by spectacular advances both in our understanding of biological processes and in the very methods developed to achieve this understanding. This lecture-based course provides a theoretical overview of the key molecular biology techniques used in basic life science research and by the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry for the discovery of novel therapeutics.

Topics include:

• Gene cloning, manipulation and sequencing
• PCR
• RNA interference
• Gene expression analysis
• Protein expression, engineering, and structure determination
• Fundamentals of experimental design

You'll also learn about high-throughput sequencing and microarray expression analysis, methods that generate massive amounts of biological data. The instructor discusses the types of data these techniques generate, the relevance to bioinformatics, and their uses in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.