Introduction to Bionanotechnology is a five-day intensive course with online support and written assignments. Each of the five days has a dedicated theme and will start with an introductory lecture, followed by lectures, case studies and discussions led by subject specialists from the University of Oxford and guest lecturers from other universities, companies and organisations.
Module content:
Day 1: Introduction to cell biology and bionanotechnology
- What is bionanotechnology? Challenges and opportunities
- Introduction to nucleic acids
- Introduction to proteins, lipids and sugars
- Components of biological systems and cells
- Introduction to cell culture
Day 2: Introduction to bioanalytical techniques
- Imaging the science of life – optical microscopy in biology
- Biological Electron Microscopy
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) of biological systems
- Techniques for protein analysis
- Techniques for DNA analysis and DNA sequencing
Day 3: Applied genomics and proteomics
- Introduction to Proteomics
- Protein expression systems
- Clinical proteomics: How protein techniques help in evidence based medicine
- Applications of genetic technologies and DNA sequencing
- Forensic DNA analysis
Day 4: Nanoparticles, nanostructures and biomimetics
- Natural and incidental nanoparticles
- Engineered nanoparticles and their syntheses
- Applications of nanoparticles
- Biologically inspired nanostructures – introduction to biomimetics
- Industrial applications of biologically inspired nanostructures and materials
Day 5: Interaction of nanomaterials with biological systems
- Nanoparticle interactions at the cellular level
- Nanoparticle interactions at a whole organism level – exposure routes, risks and benefits
- Nanoparticles and their fate in the environment, health impact and risk assessment