Module 8: Biotechnology apprenticeship for technicians working in SMEs: process control in biotechnology

Module’s structure
The module is developed for basic level of education and consists of 3 units organized in 2 parts.

Learning goals
The module is foreseen to provide contemporary knowledge about fermentation kinetics – characterization of microbial growth and formation of different products by microorganisms, and methods for measuring of their growth; the trainees are aquainted with main systems for cultivation of microorganisms and basic principles of molecular techniques for analysis of nucleic acids, DNA sequencing and labelling, and DNA cloning procedures.

Previous knowledge required
As a prerequisite basic knowledge in general microbiology; general biochemistry; fundamentals of industrial microbiology; microbial physiology and biochemistry, fundamentals of molecular biology is required.

Module’s content
Part 1 describes the main kinetic parameters of microbial growth: generation time, doubling time, exponential growth rate, specific growth rate. The four types of microbial growth characteristic for bacteria, yeasts, fungi and viruses are also considered. Direct and indirect methods for measuring of microbial growth are discussed: methods for determination of cells number, as well as such for estimation of cells biomass are described. It deals as well with methods for cultivation of microorganisms. Models characterizing microbial culture in closed (batch) and open (fed-batch and continuous) systems are presented. Kinetic parameters such as specific growth rate, saturation constant, yield coefficients, productivity, etc. are defined. The influence of different physical and chemical factors of the medium on the culture growth and product formation are studied. Some practical applications of the different cultivation systems for obtaining of primary and secondary metabolites are also discussed.
Part 2 presents data aboput the basic structure and properties of nucleic acids, cloning procedures in plasmid vectors; DNA sequencing, DNA labelling and library screening. Information about protein expression systems and techniques as well as RNA purification and analysis is given. The principles and application of PCR techniques and use of selected specialized methodologies for molecular study of proteins interaction in the cell are presented.

Basic Level