Frontiers in Biotechnology

Frontiers in Biotechnology

Coordinator
Manuel Carrondo and Paula Alves

Objectives
Frontiers in Biotechnology will cover technological aspects that aim at obtaining products with scientific, industrial, health and agricultural applications, from organisms with increasing levels of complexity from bacteria and yeast to plants and animal cells. By being exposed to this wide variety of biotechnological concepts and applications,
students will learn how to integrate scientific knowledge into applications in Biotechnology.

Syllabus
The 'biotechnology industry': stakeholders, current status and future directions.
Biological systems: Factors influencing the choice of in vitro cell production platforms for industrial processes: bacteria, yeast, fungi, plant, insect mammalian cells, transgenic animals and plants.
Animal Cell Biotechnology: Use of animal cells for pre-clinical and research; animal cell-derived biopharmaceuticals, regulatory issues.
Microbial Biotechnology: Use of microorganisms in the synthesis of industrially-useful products (chemical feedstock, (amino)acids, antibiotics, enzymes, biopharmaceuticals) and in bioremediation.
Plant Biotechnology: Use of plants for agricultural, medical, and industrial applications; sustainable agriculture strategies; production of high-value metabolites from plant cells.

Evaluation
Evaluation will be based on the preparation of a short review on a theme chosen by the students amongst a list proposed by the Coordinator on the topics covered in the curricular unit lectures and seminars.

Bibliography
1) General Biotechnology Books:

• Introduction to Biotechnology (3rd Edition), W.J. Thieman, M.A. Palladino, Benjamin Cummings (Pub), 2012
• Comprehensive Biotechnology (2nd Edition), M. Moo-Young (Ed), Elsevier, 2011
• Industrial Biotecnology, SL Aranoff et al (Ed), Nova Science Publishers (Pub), 2009
• Animal Cell Technology: From Biopharmaceuticals to Gene Therapy, Castilho, Morais, Augusto e Butler (Ed),
  Taylor and Francis Group (Pub), 2008
• Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology A. Kirakosyan, P.B. Kaufman (Ed), Springer (Pub), 2009

2) Review papers in the main topics covered as well as research articles related with the case studies presented.

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