SCI 291 Life Science Laboratory

Content

This course is aimed at science students and those interested in a medical track to introduce them in the biochemical and molecular laboratory of today. Modern biomedical research as well clinical diagnostics is founded on biochemical experimental procedures. In particular students will learn those essential techniques of  modern molecular biology, biochemistry, and computational biology (bioinformatics) using a protocol-based approach.
This laboratory course is built, in essence, around three themes, blood, protein and DNA, which are characteristic for the scientific field in clinical and biomedical research.

The concepts, principles and techniques used in this lab-course include a basic blood cell and protein analysis, protein determination, ELISA, protein and DNA gel electrophoresis, chromatographic enzyme purification procedures (computer simulated in silico experiment of virtual enzyme purification), enzyme kinetics (in silico), data mining (DNA and protein data base searches),  the polymerase chain reaction (PCR),  and various DNA manipulations.

Instructor

Dr. Dolf Evenberg and Dr. Karine Steketee

Track

Labs

Period

Spring / 2009

Evaluation/Assessment

The practical lab work and notebook keeping contribute for 30% to the final grade, assignments 30%, report writing 20%, presentation 15%, and overall participation 5%.

Course Material

• SCI291 Life Science Laboratory Reader

Prerequisites

The following courses are required in order to take this course:

• SCI 131 Introduction to Life Science
• SCI 191 Introductory Science Laboratory

Additional Prerequisites

Companion courses: ACC110 (major), ACC120, SCI101, SCI125, SCI226 (major), SCI231 (major).

Required for

This course is required in order to take the following course:

• SCI 125 Chemistry I
• SCI 391 Advanced Science Laboratory