Trends in Biomedical Biotechnology

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 2. Zero hunger
• 3. Good health and well-being
• 4. Quality education
• 8. Decend work and economic growth
• 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• 10. Reduced inequalities

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.

The student will also get acquainted with different methodologies to display their results in an impactful manner to their peers and colleagues. These skills will also be beneficial in their future career, whichever path they choose to pursue (academic or private research, a career in biotechnology or pharma companies, or education).

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. Gene Therapy and Genome Engineering
2. Engineering the Immune System
3. 3D Cultures: Organoids and Chips
4. Biotechnology in Emerging Infectious Diseases
5. Microbiome's Influence on Health and Disease
6. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
7. Nanobiotechnology
8. Single-cell Technologies Guiding Research

Evaluation

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

It is based on the continuous monitoring of student work, which will be assessed throughout the course and active assistance in the classroom, conducting 3 collaborative works with oral exposition as main items evaluated on the theory and the active participation in seminars and journal clubs.

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

• Activity 1: Continuous evaluation of the course (15%) (assistance and participation in all the activities planned for the course). This activity includes:
  1. Assistance to class and participation in presentations (classes, preparation sessions, seminars, and posters).
  2. Answer the questionnaires for each of the modules prepared by the professor or the students (questionnaires account for 50% of activity 1). 
• Activity 2: Skills in collaborative work and participation (15%). This activity includes:
  1. Actively participate in the class dynamics by asking questions, joining or refuting your colleagues' or professor's points of views and enriching the debate. 
  2. Share interesting information related to recent advances or hot topics in biomedical biotechnology. 
  3. Read all the manuscripts suggested by the professor and/or your colleagues in the virtual campus, including those selected for journal clubs.
  4. Positive teamworking to prepare the mandatory presentations of this subject, which will be evaluated by your teammates. 

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

• Activity 3: Seminar presentation about a the state-of-the art of a hot topic in biomedical biotechnology (20%). Compulsory. This activity includes:
  1. Evaluation of research material and continuous assessment.
  2. Presentation and oral speech evaluation evaluated by the professor and your peers.
  3. 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 of a manuscript chosen by the professor (30%). Compulsory. This activity includes:
  1. Slides presentation and oral speech evaluation. 
  2. Critical evaluation of the manuscript. 
  3. Capacity to start a discussion about the manuscript and the topic.

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 of a novel topic on biomedical biotechnology (20%). This activity includes:
  1. Generation of a scientific poster based on a topic of choice. This poster should be 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. Poster defence and discussion with peers and the professor. 

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

• Plenary lectures: the professor will give some plenary sessions on hot topics related to biomedical biotechnology followed by discussion seminars.
• Discussion sessions and formal debates: there will be lessons dedicated to igniting discussion and debate.
• Working and consulting sessions: there will be some sessions dedicated to the supervision and discussion for the preparation of mandatory presentations.
• Autonomous work activities: students must dedicate 90 hours during the semester to prepare the presentations, besides the working and consulting sessions.
• Presentation sessions: students must present three projects (a seminar, a journal club, and a poster), which will be the main activities of this course.
• Project preparation
• Teamwork

Bibliography

Key references

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

Further reading

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