Biotechnology MSc

You can carry out the project on campus or as part of an industrial placement. Placements in industry will be subject to meeting academic requirements. If you are completing your project in industry you will have an industrial supervisor who will determine the topic. You will design the study; and gain familiarity with previously published literature, together with the methods/techniques. You will use data collection and appropriate quantitative analysis in preparation for the report and poster presentation.

You will be introduced to modern molecular methods in biotechnology. Particular focus will be on transgenic methods and the use and application of bioinformatics in understanding the functional roles of genes, metabolites and proteins and how they can be analysed using a variety of new technologies, including deep sequencing, proteomics, mass spectrometry and transcriptomics. You will gain knowledge in applying, analysing and manipulating cells using current molecular methods and high-throughput technologies.

Microbes, Plants and Animal cells have been largely exploited for the controlled production of substances of interest in biotechnology. This module will give an overview of nascent and current trends in development and commercialisation of products relating to food, energy, and pharmaceuticals and the need to push towards fully sustainable bio-production of a larger spectrum of substances and their economic feasibility.

The module will also highlight ethical and environmental concerns on the use of genetically modified biological systems. Topics highlighted in this module include but not limited to ethics of GMO’s, commercial development of GM varieties, products of commercial significance, current issues, patenting and risk assessments.

This module aims to provide students with the skills, knowledge and practical experience required to respond to the challenges involved in managing, commercialising and marketing technological innovation and new business development.

The content of the module focusses on career management skills and the knowledge required to gain success within the global job market. You will have the opportunities to evaluate your own skills, interests, experiences and goals to identify suitable opportunities. Training will be given in core competencies and techniques needed to be able to make applications that have positive impact on employers.

This module will provide practical experience in basic laboratory techniques including microbiological methods (media preparation, sterile technique, growth measurement etc), basic biochemical methods (buffer preparation and centrifugation) and molecular biological techniques (preparation and analysis of DNA). Practical work will be supported by lectures to provide an understanding of the basis of the techniques, the limitations of the methods and the appropriate methods of analysis.

The module deals with the production and perception of plant signalling molecules. The ways in which these signals are integrated to ensure appropriate responses to environmental conditions or plant pathogen attack are discussed.

The processes of floral development and reproduction are some of the most critical stages occurring during plant growth and development. They are fundamental for plant breeding, crop productivity and horticulture. The significance of plant reproduction is particularly pertinent to issues of food security and the future development of high yielding crops. In this module, you’ll focus on recent developments that have been made in the understanding of floral development, reproduction and seed production, including the current goals, methods and achievements in the genetic engineering of crop and horticultural plants. With an emphasis on reproductive biology or fruit production, you’ll learn how such processes can be manipulated for commercial exploitation and to facilitate crop improvement. Through a mix of lectures and seminars, you’ll gain a detailed knowledge on the developmental and molecular processes associated with flowering, seed production and fruit development.

The module will cover the application of the latest and emergent biotechnology options for crop improvement in relation to crop production. This will involve consideration of the genetic engineering of plant species to introduce new traits and new genetic mapping techniques as an aid to conventional plant breeding programmes. You will visit research institutes and agri-biotech companies to see the latest technologies in action. The visits will include days spent at Rothamsted Research, NIAB, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and several plant breeding companies. Instruction will be in the form of lectures and practical demonstrations including cereal transformation, molecular approaches to varietal analysis and image analysis for varietal profiling.  A visit to Elsoms Seeds will enable you to see seed quality testing, breeding strategies for vegetable crops, trialling and tissue culture for homozygous plant production.

This module provides you with the information and advice necessary to choose and carry out a project topic.

Early in the Autumn Semester, a list of project topics will be provided and discussed with you. This is followed up by individual tutorials with the module convenor to assist project choice. Project areas reflect the current research expertise within the Plant and Crop Sciences Division. All projects involve laboratory work and many involve the introduction and expression of agronomically important genes into crop species using tissue culture and molecular techniques. Individual tutorials with project supervisors provide the support allowing you to present a completed research plan which will form the basis of seminar presentations in the Spring Semester.

During the Autumn Semester you are required to select a recent plant biotechnology research paper for oral presentation. This allows you to develop the skills of summarising a primary research paper and developing a group discussion. The module is completed by an extensive literature review guided by the project supervisor.

The genetic improvement of crop plants is critical to address issues of food security for a growing world population and in the face of a changing climate. It is also the key to tackling environmental degradation and to meeting the increasing strict regulations on agricultural pollution which are coming into force in many Western countries. While these issues are not identical, they are linked and efficient plant breeding can be part of the solution to both. In this module, you’ll develop an understanding of crop genetic improvement through lectures, case and literature studies, research plan presentations, external expert seminars and practical exposure to crop breeding and molecular techniques. You’ll examine how modern and technological approaches can enhance crop breeding programmes and be able to assess the limitations of these approaches. The emphasis is on the application of biotechnology to conventional breeding, but you’ll also learn about genetic modification in the genetic improvement of crops. You’ll cover temperate and tropical, annual and perennial, and in-breeding and out-breeding crops.

The module will cover visits to industries relevant to animal biotechnology. The objective is to provide you with an understanding of the processes involved in research and development. Activities include lectures and tutorials.

This module will introduce the concept of metabolic control at the gene expression level with particular reference to the role of nutrients in these processes. Through the provision and application of relevant biochemical and molecular biology information, you will gain an understanding of the regulatory effects of nutrients, either directly or indirectly, on gene expression and how this influences metabolism and growth in eukaryotic systems.

This module will cover current state of the art technologies used in the animal biotechnology industry. Content includes the genetic modification of animals and animal cells with the purpose of using them as bioreactors, models of human disease and for regenerative medicine. Content is delivered via a highly interactive program of activities, including lectures, seminars, practicals, workshops, and paper discussions, that require students’ active participation in the learning process.

This module will provide you with an understanding of how antibody biotechnology can be applied to solve problems in an industrial and biomedical context. It will cover the following: antibody structure and function, monoclonal antibodies, IgE and its receptors, the immunoglobulin system, the structure of immunoglobulins and their complexes with antigen, solution structure and properties of antibodies, and other related topics.

This module considers dry lab demonstrations on techniques in animal and laboratory research, research processes in government and industry funded research, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation and other topics as deemed appropriate to the module content.

This module will provide you with an understanding of how antibody biotechnology can be applied to solve problems in an industrial and biomedical context. It will cover the following: antibody structure and function, monoclonal antibodies, IgE and its receptors, the immunoglobulin system, the structure of immunoglobulins and their complexes with antigen, solution structure and properties of antibodies, and other related topics.

This module will cover visits to industries relevant to Microbial Biotechnology. The objective is to provide you with an understanding of commercial development of products and the processes involved in research and development. A wide range of industries from pharmaceutical to food will be covered as a part of this module. Activities include industrial visits, team based learning, lectures, seminars and tutorials.

The module content includes advanced aspects of protein expression and the impact of genetic engineering in the biotechnology industry. This module covers underpinning principles for bio-processing technologies, including an overview of microbial expression systems, their metabolism and challenges in scale up of biomolecules of industrial, commercial significance. You will take part in practical sessions, lectures, seminars and tutorials.

This is a core module taught to MSc in Microbial Biotechnology specialism and is designed to introduce you to basic techniques for use in research project. In addition, current trends in microbial biotechnology with microbes as examples will be examined from the current literature. As a research preparation module it is intended to supplement and prepare you for D24PRO by gaining information on relevant techniques both in the lab and also helpful in data interpretation.

This module considers advanced aspects of yeast cell physiology, biochemistry and the fermentation process, delivered using a blended learning approach. The content is related to yeast and fermentation, particularly relevant to the production of fermented beverages, biofuels and other related products. The specific characteristics of yeast which make this organism valuable will be described in detail. Aspects including functionality, metabolic pathways and their ability to convert substrates into commercially valuable end products for a range of industrial applications is the key focus.