Bachelor of Biotechnology and Innovation

Subject Details

First Year

CHEM110 – Chemistry A - (78 hours)

This subject is designed to allow an individual to develop the skills and knowledge required to understand the classification, nomenclature and behavioural characteristics` of common chemical substances. It examines the historical development of the periodic classification of elements and explores systematic approaches to describing physical, chemical, thermodynamic and kinetic behaviour and properties. Emphasis will be placed on the development of safe and efficient practical skills that will underpin subsequent laboratory work at this and higher levels.

BIOL110 – Biology A - (78 hours)

This subject introduces the study of life at the cellular level. It will examine and compare the structure and function of plant, animal and bacterial cells and viruses. It emphasises metabolic pathways especially energy production and storage, growth and differentiation. The role of the nucleus in controlling cell structure and function via targeted expression of nuclear genome is discussed and the basic control of gene function and its critical importance for normal function of organisms will be examined.

DATA110 – Numerical methods - (52 hours)

This subject introduces students to measurement techniques and methods of data collection and analysis. Students will be provided with an understanding of basic metrology, collection and representation of data, accuracy and measurement of error. Basic statistical methods including populations, normal distribution, mean and variance analysis techniques, regression analysis and confidence limits will be introduced. This unit also addresses experimental design, estimation, probability, and hypothesis testing.

BINN110 – Introduction to the biotechnology industry - (52 hours)

This subject is designed to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the biotechnology industry and the social, economic and ethical issues surrounding its growth. The development and broad applications of biotechnology are discussed both from an historical perspective and within the context of contemporary society. Students will consider the significant roles of globalisation, innovation and commercialisation in the development of contemporary biotechnology organisations and enterprises. Students will analyse the social, ethical and economic risks of new technologies against their potential benefits with reference to case studies.

CHEM120 – Chemistry B - (78 hours)

This subject is designed to allow an individual to develop the skills and knowledge required to describe the bulk physical and chemical properties of substances in the solid state and solution equilibria as well as gaining an understanding of the biological significance of coordination complexes. This course will develop a thorough understanding of fundamental organic chemical concepts to underpin further studies at higher levels in biochemistry. The course will systematically develop an understanding of organic nomenclature, structures, bonding, reaction types and reactivity of alkyl, aryl and functional group compounds. The practical classes will enable students to develop confidence in safe and efficient laboratory work practices while maintaining a high standard of accuracy and precision.

BIOL120 – Biology B - (78 hours)

This subject introduces students to the structure, function, diversity and evolution of multicellular organisms. It will provide students with an understanding of the basic principles of natural selection and the effects of genetic and environmental factors on evolution and species diversity. The general principles governing the classification of plant and animal species will be presented and discussed and the relationships between habitats and species evolution and diversity will be explored.

MICR120 – Microbiology A - (78 hours)

This subject introduces students to the biology of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa) and to the experimental methods used in their study. It focuses on microorganisms that are economically significant because of their effects on human, animal or plant health or their importance in industrial bioprocesses.

DATA120 – Research methods - (52 hours)

This subject aims to extend student’s understanding of important statistical methods applicable to the biological sciences introduced in DATA110. Particular attention is focused on application to biotechnology processes. Knowledge of hypothesis testing, selection of appropriate statistical analyses, and techniques for mitigation of sources of experimental error, underpins the tutorial classes where students will develop skills and knowledge which relate to accurate observation, recording and analysis of biological processes. A variety of research methodologies will be examined and students will gain an understanding of the importance of experimental procedures and protocols. The role of statistical reporting in scientific and peer reviewed communication will also be discussed and examined. Students will be introduced to the field of bioinformatics. Pre-requisite: DATA110

Second Year

BIOC210 – Biochemistry A - (78 hours)

This subject will provide a general understanding of biomolecular structure and function of living cells and examine in detail the structure and function of the cell nucleus and the role of nucleic acids in cell replication and biosynthesis. Students will explore the bilayer structure of the cell membrane, and its role in cell communication and in maintaining the intracellular environment. The structure and function of rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum will be compared, and the function of ribosomes and the Golgi apparatus in the synthesis, packaging and secretion of proteins will be described. The relationship between the 3-dimensional structure of proteins and their functional specificity as receptors and enzymes will be discussed and the role of lysozymes in the normal function of cells will be examined. Students will develop practical skills and knowledge to analyse biochemical processes using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The role of bioinformatics in prediction of RNA secondary structure, phylogenetic relationships, gene and protein classification and prediction is developed through practical application and laboratory classes.

MGEN210 – Molecular genetics A - (78 hours)

This subject will introduce students to the molecular basis of genes, gene expression and heredity and the links between genetics and molecular biotechnology. The major topics covered will include: DNA and RNA structure, synthesis and DNA replication; Mendel, chromosomes, genes, gene assortment and patterns of inheritance; comparison of the structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, gene transfer in bacteria and viruses; gene expression, DNA transcription and translation, protein synthesis and the regulation of gene expression; proteins and protein function; chromosome mapping; vectors and host-vector systems; restriction enzymes, cloning of DNA fragments into vectors; DNA amplification, hybridisation and sequencing; gene libraries, genome projects and an examination of the methods used to collect DNA sequences and store them in computer files along with identifiers such as organism and gene nomenclature. The practical component will provide students with skills in preparing chromosome spreads, isolating and purifying DNA, use of restriction enzymes and PCR, and DNA sequencing Methods of retrieval and database querying are also examined.

MICR210 – Microbiology B - (78 hours)

This subject extends the foundation of MICR120 to detail the selection and use of particular microbes in important industrial bioprocesses such as fermentation, biosynthesis of antibiotics, recombinant proteins, sewage treatment and other biodegradation processes, and in food production. Students will, through the laboratory component of the course, develop further practical skills in the isolation, culture and manipulation of microorganisms.

BIOT210 – Bioprocessing A - (78 hours)

This subject will explore the use of electrophoretic techniques to separate and isolate proteins, nucleic acids and other important biological molecules and the application of a variety of standard laboratory techniques for identifying molecules, for synthesizing biomarkers such as oligonucleotides, for replicating nucleic acids and for isolating cells from tissues and growing cells and cell lines in culture. Students will develop further the skills and knowledge from MGEN210 and BIOC210 to program simple routines in BioPython or in the Victorian VPAC Bioplatform to analyse DNA sequences and related data. They will also utilise, develop and adapt open source resources available on the World Wide Web to support development of bioinformatics applications.

BIOC220 – Biochemistry B - (78 hours)

This subject is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of biochemical pathways and cell metabolism, and the practical skills and knowledge to analyse biochemical processes using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The subject will cover: the energy requirements of cells including carbohydrate metabolism, glucose and pentose pathways, the citric acid cycle; chloroplast structure and photosynthesis; mitochondrial structure, electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation; metabolic and regulatory mechanisms in cells; signals and signal transduction; nitrogen metabolism and synthesis of amino acids; enzyme structure and function including reaction kinetics; lipids and lipid biosynthesis; hormone structure and functions. Further contextualisation of the role of bioinformatics and its application will be examined.

MGEN220 – Molecular genetics B - (78 hours)

This subject provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of the molecular basis of genes and gene function, and the links between genetics and molecular biotechnology. The major topics covered will include: regulation and manipulation of gene expression; gene isolation and mapping; mechanisms of recombination, recombinant DNA technology and its applications; gene transfer methods and genetic engineering; chromosome and gene mutations and basis for mutagenesis; mitochondrial DNA, haplotypes and evolution; genetic basis of disease and the application of molecular biotechnology in disease diagnosis and the development of novel treatments for disease such as DNA and protein-based vaccines; production of recombinant proteins. The practical component will provide students with advanced skills in DNA amplification techniques and sequencing, DNA fragment cloning. Bioinformatics will be extended from Molecular Genetics A to develop greater understanding of methods of sequence and assessment of their significance via specialised statistical analyses (including Bayesian statistics and Hidden Markov Models).

MICR220 – Microbiology C - (78 hours)

This subject extends MICR120 and MICR220 to focus on aspects of bacterial molecular biology of importance to the biotechnology industry. Content includes the study of genetic elements such as plasmids, transposons, integrons and pathogenicity islands as well as bacterial genomics. Students will develop further practical skills in the isolation, culture and genetic manipulation of microorganisms.

BIOT220 – Bioprocessing B - (78 hours)

This subject introduces students to recombinant DNA technology. Major areas covered in the subject will include: DNA and RNA extraction methods; restriction enzymes and their applications; DNA and RNA amplification using polymerase chain reaction techniques (PCR); differential gene expression using PCR quality control in PCR and detection of PCR products; DNA hybridisation; design, synthesis and use of microsatellite primers and interpretation of DNA probe data; microarray technology; agarose gel and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; DNA and protein sequencing; RT-PCR; cloning and mutagenesis using PCR techniques. The themes of IP management, quality systems and QA, QC, GMP and regulatory affairs compliance are contextualised in the biotechnology industries and applied throughout the practical component of the subject.

Third Year Core

BIOP314 – Biotechnology project A - (126 hours)

This subject provides students with an opportunity to put into practice the scientific knowledge and practical skills learned during the course in a relevant biotechnology industry setting. Each student will undertake a biotechnology-based project under the dual supervision of a staff member from the Centre for Biotechnology and an industry partner. The aim of the project will be to develop a new biotechnology product or service. In collaboration with the industry partner the student will: design a suitable project with appropriate objectives and methods; establish and cost a plan for the project; write a grant application to fund the project and prepare (if required) an application for ethics approval of the project; execute the research plan using approved research techniques; analyse, present and interpret the data collected during the project; communicate the results and conclusions in a short verbal presentation; and write a report of the project outcomes and applications which includes consideration of the intellectual property developed during the project, protection of any intellectual property and consideration of any patent developments. The involvement of industry in this project may give students the option of undertaking their projects during scheduled class time, during semester breaks, or in industry as a single block of time or on one day per week for a period of weeks.

BINN313 – Biotechnology legal and regulatory frameworks - (65 hours)

This subject is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of the legal and regulatory frameworks that broadly define, support and constrain the business of biotechnology. Students will develop an understanding of important legal issues in biotechnology and will examine these using relevant case studies. They will discuss the legal and regulatory consequences of the discovery and applications of biotechnologies and the issues of balancing rapid advances in science and biotechnology against the more considered changes in legislative frameworks and general acceptance of emerging biotechnologies by the public. This subject will emphasise the commercial importance of scientific knowledge and discovery, and the issues of ownership of knowledge and protection of intellectual property in research and commercial settings. Particular attention will be paid to patent law. This foundational appreciation of intellectual property issues in biotechnology will be further developed in all other subjects in the degree.

BINN310 – Strategic project management - (52 hours)

The biotechnology industry has a distinct set of requirements for the project manager. Management of various discoveries, development, and testing, and manufacturing processes within a highly regulated environment pose unique project management challenges. This subject is designed to provide detailed knowledge and understanding as a foundation for initiating and managing new venture biotechnology projects. Students will gain deep understanding of the processes involved in the research and development of a product and in the commercial steps involved in the transition from laboratory to market. Traditional project scheduling methods are presented including PERT and other techniques that lead to the effective control of, and resource allocation to, competing activities. Project leadership, project risk, financial management and the development and management of high-performance teams will also be explored.

BINN323 – Entrepreneurship and innovation - (52 hours)

This unit provides students with an understanding of entrepreneurship, innovation and new venture management. Students will learn how to leverage business management knowledge and use it successfully in entrepreneurial ventures. A key focus will be the development of enterprising and entrepreneurial attitudes, skills and behaviours to ensure the effective establishment, management or work regardless of organisational context. Topics include understanding innovative enterprises; entrepreneurial attitudes, abilities and behaviours; developing an entrepreneurial culture; opportunity recognition and viability screening; first-mover advantages and disadvantages; risk recognition and risk reduction strategies; intellectual property protection.

BIOT324 – Bioprocessing C - (78 hours)

This subject focuses on biomanufacturing for medical, agricultural and other purposes. Major areas covered in the subject include: techniques for isolating cell population from biological samples; cell counting and viability assessments including flow cytometry; preparation and analysis of a blood sample; cell culture and in vitro methods for inducing and maintaining cell differentiation; cell harvesting techniques and differential analysis of cell types; production and purification of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies; in situ hybridisation for gene product localisation; principles of biochemical engineering; fermentation technologies: bioreactor design and applications; scale-up in bioprocessing technologies; harvesting and purification of bioproducts; filtration systems; downstream processing.

BINN320 – Biotechnology innovation project - (126 hours)

This subject provides students with an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and practical skills learned during the innovation and entrepreneurship stream of the course in a relevant biotechnology industry setting. Each student will undertake a biotechnology commercialisation project under the dual supervision of a staff member from the Centre for Biotechnology and an industry partner. Where possible students will use the biotechnology product or service developed in Biotechnology Project A as the basis for the biotechnology innovation project. In collaboration with the industry partner the student will: develop business and marketing plans with appropriate objectives and methods; identify resources including sources of finance and prepare (if required) an application for ethics approval; execute the business plan using sound project management techniques; evaluate the success of the project, communicate the results in a short verbal presentation; and write a report of the project outcomes and applications which includes consideration of the intellectual property developed during the project, protection of any intellectual property and consideration of any patent developments.

Third Year Electives

Choose 2 electives only from the following list

PTEC311 – Pharmacology and pharmacogenomics - (65 hours)

This subject provides students with an opportunity to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of basic pharmacology, drugs, drug actions and the importance of biotechnology in the development and commercialisation of pharmaceutical products, including the process of development of a new drug from its discovery, isolation, synthesis, design of delivery systems, laboratory and clinical trials and approval by regulatory agencies for commercial release onto the Australian market. The major topics include: the different classes of drugs and their modes of action; pharmacokinetics, drug-membrane interactions, receptor binding and dose-responses; drug absorption, metabolism and excretion; development and use of vaccines, antibiotic antiviral drugs; principles of chemotherapy and the mechanisms of action of chemotherapeutic agents, molecular pharmacology and basic principles of toxicology associated with the misuse or accidental exposure of drugs, and the metabolism of toxic substances. Practical classes will cover basic methods in pharmacology including topics on agonists and antagonists, drug pharmacokinetics, computer modelling of drug molecules and the evaluation of the actions of common pharmacological agents. Students will also conduct a project in which they will take an approved drug and prepare a mock strategy and documentation for its development, clinical trailing, approval, registration and commercial release. Discussion of contemporary issues surrounding the use of developments in biotechnology in the pharmaceutical industry and issues of GMP, GLP, QC and QA are also considered.

ETEC312 – Environmental biotechnology - (65 hours)

The subject provides a more in-depth examination of the role of microbes and other organisms in the environment and the use of this knowledge in addressing a range of environmental issues. Students will examine the role of microbes in aquatic and terrestrial environments and particularly their role in biogeochemical cycles and energy flows in the natural environment, especially nitrogen, carbon, sulphur and iron cycles. Various aspects of microbial metabolism will be examined as well as some microbes with extreme lifestyles which have provided important enzyme systems for industry and research. The application of microbial systems and other advances in biotechnology for addressing environmental issues such as treatment of water and effluent, biodegradation of pollutants, composting and air quality are discussed.

ATEC322 – Agricultural biotechnology - (52 hours)

This subject will explore the technological changes that have revolutionised the fields of plant and animal production. It will provide students with a broad knowledge and understanding of procedures for selecting and producing transgenic organisms and the ways that these modified organisms have been used to improve the production efficiency, sustainability and cost structures of modern farming practices, for example herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant and disease-resistant transgenic crops. Students will examine the economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages of genetically modifying plants and animals and the practical and ethical issues of using GMOs in agriculture, especially the inclusion of GMOs in food products. The subject will also examine the role of biotechnology in detection and management of significant agricultural pest species and in the detection and treatment of animal and plant diseases.

RTEC321 – Reproductive biotechnology - (65 hours)

This subject will provide students with a broad knowledge and understanding of the development and use of biotechnologies to enhance and control reproduction in mammals, especially humans. The course will examine the general principles of reproduction in mammals, including gamete production and its control, fertilization and early embryonic development, genetic control of development, causes of infertility and the concept of fertility control. Using an historical approach, students will consider the development of reproductive technologies and the course will present a comprehensive range of examples of current and developing reproductive technologies, their application to problems of reproduction and development and contemporary issues surrounding the use of these biotechnologies. The laboratory course will provide students with practical experience in various reproductive techniques, including gamete handling and manipulation, IVF and hormonal control of reproduction and development.