546-0509/02 – Basics of Biotechnology (ZBT)

Target competence on the basis of new knowledge and its application in problem solving, observation, experiments and communication: - to perceive biotechnology as an open scientific discipline, to learn about the current directions of its development focusing on state-of-the-art industrial biotechnologies, waste processing and environmental biotechnology - to apply the gained knowledge in dealing with practical tasks in seminars, to consider the consequences of a phenomenon from the environmental, health as well as economic points of view and to justify the significance of new biotechnological information for the society - ability of independent solution of set tasks, to observe and objectively record experiment results, to document observation in the form of diagrams and charts with legends, to adhere to safety regulations when working with biological material and technical instruments - ability to work with technical texts, to master specialist terminology, to synthetically evaluate data acquired in dealing with tasks in seminars, to defend an opinion of a biological problem solution in a discussion

The objective of the course is to introduce students to a field dealing with an issue of biotechnology and its applications in modern industry, in processing of mineral resources and waste. The course offers information on the production of biologically active substances which, in particular, assert themselves in the environmental protection in the biotechnological manner. Some lectures are dedicated to an explanation of cell’s genome complexity as an introduction to understanding modern biotechnological methods making use of gene manipulation on a cellular level. Lectures are complemented by seminars in a laboratory which focus on examinations of cell’s morphology and physiology in biotechnologically active organisms.

GLAZER, A. N. a H. NIKAIDO. Microbial Biotechnology: Fundamentals of Applied Mikrobiology. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. xvii, 554 s. ISBN 978-0-521-84210-5

Continuous check of the study is conducted in the form of a discussion on the lectured issue, practical skills are continuously monitored during work at the tutorials; regular tasks from the tutorials extend the theoretical training for experimental work. Studying the subject is completed by an classified credit.