Trends in Biomedical Biotechnology

Objectives

Traditionally, course programs in science degrees are organised around the conceptual framework of specific disciplines such as biochemistry and ecology. This favours specialisation, but is detrimental to knowledge integration and contextualisation, which requires multidisciplinary approaches.

In this course, we seek a holistic approach to research and innovation. Such an approach is vital to develop key analytical skills that can be applied to capture trends in the market and the research world. Here, students will observe the health ecosystem from different perspectives to understand the deep relationship between research and the problems we face as a society. To achieve this goal, students will participate in various activities to promote a systemic view of the biomedical field.

Learning outcomes

1. Analyse current research trends in the biomedical field.
2. Take on responsibilities when working individually or in teams, and to assess results.
3. Write reports with accurate spelling and grammar in Catalan, Spanish and English.
4. Propose interventions that respect democratic and sustainability values, and human rights.
5. Develop the capacity for critical thought with respect to processes associated with the profession.
6. Develop team work skills, by analysing current trends in biomedical biotechnology and proposing new projects beyond the state of the art.

Competencies

General skills

• Endeavour to combine independence and personal initiative with teamwork in multidisciplinary activities.

Specific skills

• Acquire scientific and technical training for study of the possible uses of organisms for the production of goods and services with commercial value, with due regard to ethics and intellectual property regulations.

Basic skills

• Students can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialists and non-specialists.

Core skills

• Be a critical thinker before knowledge in all its dimensions. Show intellectual, cultural and scientific curiosity and a commitment to professional rigour and quality.
• Exercise active citizenship and individual responsibility with a commitment to the values of democracy, sustainability and universal design, through practice based on learning, service and social inclusion.
• Interact in international and worldwide contexts to identify needs and and new contexts for knowledge transfer to current and emerging fields of professional development, with the ability to adapt to and independently manage professional and research processes.
• Project the values of entrepreneurship and innovation in one's academic and professional career, through contact with a variety of practical contexts and motivation for professional development.
• Use oral, written and audiovisual forms of communication, in one's own language and in foreign languages, with a high standard of use, form and content.

Content

1. Genome editing tools
2. Engineered immune system cells
3. Human organoids
4. Role of biotechnology in Covid-19
5. Microbiome
6. Wearable technology applications
7. Bioprinting
8. Role of biotechnology in personalized medicine

Evaluation

The assessment of the subject will consider the acquisition of the skills and learning outcomes.

It is based on continuous assessment and active participation in the classroom: The theory and active participation in seminars and journal club will be assessed through the production of 3 collaborative projects with oral presentations.

The final course grade will be the weighted average of the following items:

• Activity 1: Active participation in the different activities of this subject (15%) (paying attention, critical evaluation of the information and discussion participation). This activity includes:
  1. Participation in the class, seminars and presentations
  2. Online questionnaires about lessons (questionnaires account for 50% of activity 1)
  3. Reading all the shared articles and contributing to the discussions
  4. Contributing to the forum activity on the latest news, sharing hot topics in biomedical biotechnologies
• Activity 2: Skills in collaborative work (15%). This activity includes:
  1. Group work (self-asssessment)
  2. Group work (peer-assessment)

Ativities 3 and 4 are main activities that are compulsory and may be retaken.

• Activity 3: Seminar presentation about a technical procedure implicated in biomedical biotechnology (20%). Compulsory. This activity includes:
  1. Online research assessment
  2. Slide presentation assessment.
  3. Oral presentation assessment.
  4. Generation of a questionnaire with 6 questions to check if colleagues have understood explanation (with teacher's support and supervision)
• Activity 4: Journal club presentation. Presentation of a paper chosen by your teacher about the technical procedure that you presented before (30%). Compulsory. This activity includes:
  1. Online research assessment
  2. Slide presentation assessment
  3. Oral presentation assessment
  4. Critical evaluation of the paper
  5. Ability to generate a discussion about the scientific paper

Attending the seminar and presentations of your classmates is compulsory. If you don't come to class that day, 0.5 point of the final grade will be subtracted.

Activity 5 is compulsory.

• Activity 5: Poster presentation (20%). This activity includes:
  1. Creating a poster similar to a congress poster explaining technical procedure, with introduction, aims, method (advantages and problems), expected results in biomedical applications, ethical aspects of this application, commercial aspects, patents, or clinical trials
  2. Oral presentation of the poster
  3. Debate

If you fail activity 3 or 4, you will be able to retake the failed part by writing a complete review of a different biotechnological application for biomedical purposes.

Methodology

• Class lectures
• Self-study sessions and tutorials
• Presentation sessions
• Discussion sessions
• Formal debates
• Project preparation
• Group work

Bibliography

Bibliography

• (2021). Nature Biotechnology journal's publications. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/nbt/

Reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.