
Explore how genetic information stored in dna is transcribed to rna and translated by ribosomes into proteins, highlighting the central dogma, gene structure, and evolution across life.
Trace the shift from genetic engineering to synthetic biology, outlining DNA as the inheritance unit, recombinant DNA and transgenic organisms, sequencing and mass spectrometry, and omics-driven design of biological systems.
Explore genetic elements that regulate transcription and translation, including promoters, untranslated regions, coding sequences, terminators, and CIS factors, and learn how modular parts in plasmids assemble to control gene expression.
Explore DNA modification with enzymes such as nucleases, ligases, and kinases, and learn cloning, PCR, DNA assembly, transformation, and screening in E. coli.
Learn how polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifies dna templates using thermostable polymerases, primers, and thermal cycling, with primer design, annealing, denaturation, extension, and applications in cloning and mutagenesis.
Explore how restriction enzymes defend bacteria, recognize palindrome restriction sites, and create precise cuts for cloning; learn about methylation, ligation, plasmids, overhangs, and Golden Gate modular cloning.
Explore isothermal assembly techniques, including Gibson Assembly, that use enzyme mixtures to join DNA fragments with matching overlaps at a single temperature, enabling seamless cloning and transformation into E. coli.
Learn in vivo assembly via homologous recombination and site-specific recombinases, with yeast and E. coli examples, including gateway, cre-lox, and lambda phage–mediated strategies.
Metabolic engineering redirects cellular pathways to boost production of a desired compound by increasing precursors, blocking competing flux, removing feedback inhibition, and assembling multi-gene pathways with promoters and selection markers.
Designing, building, and testing genetic designs has created the interdisciplinary field of synthetic biology that rationally designs biological systems, most often using DNA assembly. Biological systems are fascinating because they store information that is autocatalytic and self-replicating. This course is an introduction to the techniques of genetic engineering, tips for their application, and discussion of use-cases. The first module will review key concepts of molecular biology and biological system information storage, the eras of biological research and major technological breakthroughs, and how genetic elements have come to be defined and now abstracted. The second module focuses on the DNA modification techniques widely in use, the enzymes and other components, and design principals are covered. The final module looks at the applications of these techniques for genetically modified organisms. The future of distributed synthetic biology is also highlighted. Example experiments are included at the conclusion of the course to help see the new knowledge in action.
Genetic engineering has gone from a advanced laboratories to elementary classrooms as the techniques become more widely known and materials available. To build plasmids, genetic circuits, and engineered organisms a knowledge of DNA modification techniques is needed. These tools are available to a resourceful biohacker and will be familiar at the end of the course.