Animal Biotechnology
Theory: 3 hours/week | Practicals: 2 hours/week | ECTS Units: 5
Learning Outcomes
The learning objectives of the course are to understand the functioning of the genome as a whole, the technology of animal cell and embryo culture, and the methods used for their genetic modification. Emphasis is placed on the applications of biotechnology in aquaculture and fish farming, animal husbandry, and animal production. Reference is made to the production of animal derivatives for exploitation and the production of human derivatives of clinical interest. The medical applications of biotechnology are also mentioned. Emphasis is placed on new applications such as gene therapy, the isolation of early embryonic cells, in vitro production of human tissues, antisense DNA technology, and the production of recombinant vaccines. Finally, the applications of biotechnology to problems such as the identification of individuals in criminology or archaeology, the genetic characterization of populations in ethnology, and the bioethical dilemmas that may arise from such applications are discussed.
Analytical Description of the Course
- INTRODUCTION: BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY.
- PRODUCTION OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTS IN BACTERIA.
- CONSTRUCTION OF PRODUCTIVE ANIMALS WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE. Animals in research. Classical and biotechnological methods of animal improvement.
- REPRODUCTIVE CLONING IN ANIMALS.
- CONSTRUCTION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS. Production of transgenic organisms. Stages of transgenic animal production. Advantages of transgenic organisms.
- PRODUCTION OF HUMAN THERAPEUTICS IN TRANSGENIC ORGANISMS. Stages of production of genetically modified animals with human genes. Possibilities – concerns.
- ASSISTED REPRODUCTION.
- THERAPEUTIC CLONING IN HUMANS. Methods for creating stem cells. Chemical control of stem cell differentiation. Experimental protocols for therapeutic cloning. Stem cell research in various countries.
- GENE THERAPY. Gene therapy strategies. Gene therapy and genetic intervention in athletic performance.
- APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES. Genetic diagnosis and treatment of common diseases. Vaccines.
- GENETIC INTERVENTION TECHNOLOGY AND BIOETHICS.
Laboratory Exercises
- Construction of transgenic insects (virtual lab)
- Isolation of DNA from fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
- Quantification of DNA and implementation of PCR to amplify DNA in Drosophila
- DNA electrophoresis in agarose gel
Student Performance Evaluation
Students are evaluated based on their performance in written exams at the end of the semester (70%), oral presentations of review/research articles on animal biotechnology applications (20%), as well as their performance on written exams based on the lab course (10%).
Suggested Bibliography
- Biotechnology: Principles and Applications, Reinhard Renneberg et al. 2020 (BROKEN HILL PUBLISHERS LTD, for the Greek language)
Teaching Material / E-class
Lecturers
Dimitrios Mossialos (Course Coordinator)
