Course reference

Core Courses

Credit Hours

First year/1st  Semester

LSCDB730

Bioinformatics II

3

LSCDB731

Advances in Cellular technologies

3

LSCDB732

Practice in Biotechnology

3

LSCDB720

Biostatistics

2

LSCDB710

Seminar in Biotechnology I

1

Total credits for first semester

12

First Year/2nd semester

      *

Specialized Courses

9

LSCDB 7**

Elective Course

2

LSCDB711

Seminar in Biotechnology II

1

Total credits 2nd semester

12

Total credits for first year

24

Second-fourth year

LSC DB 800

Ph.D. Thesis

24

Core Courses

Credit Hours

LSC DB 720

Biostatistics [shared course with The Molecular Medicine PhD program college of Medicine]

2

LSC DB 730

Bioinformatics II:  Genomics and Proteomics [shared course with The Molecular Medicine PhD program college of Medicine]

3

LSC DB 731

Advanced Cellular technologies

3

LSC DB 732

Practice in Biotechnology

3

Health Biotechnology Program

Credit Hours

LSCDBH739

Advanced Topics in Medical Biotechnology

3

LSCDBH730

Translational genomics and Genetic testing

3

LSCDBH731

Molecular Engineering

3

LSCDBH735

Pharmacogenomics and cancers in the GCC region

3

Environmental Biotechnology Program

Credit Hours

LSCDBE739

Advanced Topics in Environmental Biotechnology

3

LSCDBE731

Environmental Genomics

3

LSCDBE733

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Microbial Life in Extreme Environments

3

LSCDBE734

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Anaerobic Microbial Metabolism

3

LSCDBE735

 Biofilms and Polymers

3

For all Programs

Credit Hours

LSCDB721

Bio-membrane Structure & Function

2

LSCDB722

Instrumental Methods of Analysis in Biotechnology

2

LSCDB723

Enzymes in Biotechnology

2

LSCDB724

Fundamentals of Bio-Processing

2

LSCDB725

Bioinorganic Chemistry

2

LSCDB726

Biodiversity and Conservation

2

LSCDB727

Biotechnology Project Management

2

LSCDB728

Economic and Marketing Aspects of Biotechnology

2

LSCDB729

Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Issues in Biotechnology

2

Ph.D. Biotechnology

1)     

 Seminar in Biotechnology I

 LSC DB 710

 This course aims to teach the PhD students how to critically read and assess scientific papers. This is accomplished by explaining the main scientific criteria, which are commonly applied to by peer reviewers to judge the scientific and technical quality of scientific papers. Then the students are requested to apply these criteria to assess research papers of different quality and on various topics. The students do this during presentation of the research papers. The course also aims to develop and improve the presentation skills of the students.

2)     

 Seminar in Biotechnology II

 LSC DB 711

 The students will be exposed to the literature related to various topics in environmental and medical biotechnology. The focus will be on the methodology of various publications. The basics of the common experimental techniques adopted in the various studies will be highlighted. Furthermore, the applications of those techniques and their relevance to the planned PhD research of the students will be emphasized.

3)     

 Biostatistics

 LSC DB 720

 The objective of the course is to provide the student with the ability to read the scientific literature in biotechnology and critically evaluate the study design and data analysis. The students will gain knowledge in areas of descriptive statistics, estimation of means and median, data presentation, probability, estimation and comparing of means and proportions, association and prediction, analysis of variances,  correlation and regression, randomization, confidence  intervals and hypothesis testing as well as to acquaint the student with computer generated analysis.

4)     

 Bioinformatics II

 LSC DB 730

 The course will train the students in the computational aspects of biological inference from nucleic acid and protein sequences.  Students will be first  introduced to the storage, representation, integration, analysis, and retrieval of bioinfomatic & proteomic data (literature, sequence and structural information) including description and use of nucleic acid, protein, sequence motif, genome, literature, and other relevant databases.  Additionally, students will learn related fields such as functional genomics, structural genomics, and pharmacognetics/ genomics.  The course will also cover sequence manipulation and analysis including but not restricted to the following:

• Sequence assembly and editing
• Identification of coding region,
• Gene prediction,
• Database searching,
• Retrieval, and similarity analysis,
• Pair wise and multiple sequence alignment, Restriction analysis,
• PCR primer design,
• Protein structure analysis, modeling and function prediction
• RNA structure prediction,
• Microarray and gene expression analyses
• Phylogenetic analyses.
• DNA NGS  and RNA Seq

5)     

 Advances in Cellular Technologies 

 LSC DB 731

 The course will cover recent advances in cell biology and molecular genetics of prokaryotes and eukaryotes.  Topics related to cell differentiation and development as well as the molecular genetic aspects controlling these processes will be emphasized.  Gene structure, organization, expression, regulation, and function analysis in eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems will be addressed in details.  Students will gain insight on molecular genetic tools such as use of mutants, DNA cloning, transgenic organisms.  The course also covers other topics such gene conservation and speciation, transposable elements, genetic variation in space and time, quantitative genetics, population genetics and genome analysis.

6)     

 Practice in Biotechnology

 LSC DB 732

 This course aims to model the process whereby biotechnological companies take ideas and turn them into products.  The core of the course will be in the from of dedicated series of lecturers given by distinguished guests who have hands-on experience and are actively involved in biotechnological companies and who will give practices for productive career in biotechnology.  The students will be very close to professional scientific experts working in biomedical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, food and environmental biotechnological companies and will learn the advanced practice involved in the production of many biotechnological products.  The students will gain a through understanding of the research and planning necessary to develop a biotechnological product and the role played by the research and development (RD) sector in these companies as well as the importance of quality control.  The students will gain insight on the leadership skills and role of managers and leaders within the companies and will learn how these companies protect the intellectual property.  Field trips to some of these companies will reinforce the theoretical knowledge and bring the students to the reality of biotechnological processes.

7)     

 Analysis of Complex Genetic Diseases

 LSC DB 733

 The course provides students with recent advances in chromosomal, monogenic, polygenic, multifactorial and non Mendelian inheritance and the latest techniques for mapping and characterization of human inherited diseases with special emphasis on the mapping of common and genetically complex diseases with special emphasis on the mapping of common and genetically complex disease.  Students will be exposed to examples of complex genetic diseases such as human cancer genetics, type 2 Diabetes and Graves’s disease with pedigree analysis, and problem solving using molecular and statistical data.  The focus will be broad- based understanding of the problems and solutions to the design and execution of disease gene mapping projects using resources from the Human Genome project.

Health Biotechnology

8)     

 Translational Genomics and Genetic Testing

 LSC DBH 730

 The objective of the course is to encompass current topics in cancer and tumorigenesis.  The course covers physical, chemical, biological and genetic causes of carcinogenses.  Attention will be given to DNA mutations, cell cycle defects and loss of regulation, oncogenes activation, tumor suppressor genes inactivation, metastasis, angiogenesis, chromosomal abnormalities, DNA repair defects, telomeres, senescence and their links to cancer.  In addition, the students will learn topics like genetic predisposition, the role of the host immune system surveillance and its failure to combat malignancy and the current techniques in diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

9)     

 Advanced Topics in Medical Biotechnology

 LSC DBH 739

 The most recent advances, major achievements, current research activities and future applications of medical biotechnology will be introduced in this course.  The academic advisor in charge will set the design, contents and credit hours of this course.

 Environmental Biotechnology

10)  

 Environmental Genomics

 LSC DBE 731

 This course introduces a comprehensive view about the field of environmental genomics and the use of exiting and developing high throughput genomic-scale technologies to investigate ecological and evolutionary theory.  The techniques involved in this field to elucidate the genetic makeup and community structure and dynamics as well as identifying unculturable microorganisms will be addressed.  The course will provide the student with a complete understanding of how organisms respond to environmental changes at the molecular genetic level.  The course covers an array of systems involved in this emerging field, with the central aim of understanding the effects of environmental changes on genome structure, gene expression and adaptive evolutionary response.  The students will learn to link these data to predict the fate and effects of many toxic compounds in the environment.  The contents of the course extend to explain how these data are important to construct the genetic networks that make up the essential biological processes of life.  The concepts of vertical and horizontal gene transfer as well as other mechanisms involved in exchange of genetic materials will be illustrated.

11)  

 Environmental Genomics

 LSC DBE 731

 This course introduces a comprehensive view about the field of environmental genomics. The techniques involved in this field to elucidate the genetic makeup and community structure and dynamics as well as identifying unculturable microorganisms will be addressed. The course provides the students with a complete understanding of how organisms respond to environmental changes at the molecular genetic level. The course covers an array of systems involved in this emerging field, with the aim of understanding the effects of environmental changes on genome structure, gene expression and adaptive evolutionary response. The students will learn to link these data to predict the fate and effects of many toxic compounds in the environment. The contents of the course extend to explain how these data are important to construct the genetic networks that make up the essential biological processes of life. The concepts of vertical and horizontal gene transfer as well as other mechanisms involved in exchange of genetic materials will be illustrated.

12)  

 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Microbial Life in Extreme Environments

 LSC DBE 733

 This course provides the students with a comprehensive knowledge about the diversity of microbes flourishing and inhabiting extreme environment and their role in biogeochemical cycles of elements. Topics covered in this course include: thermophilic bacteria, biochemistry of hyperthermophilic enzymes, molecular mechanisms for thermostability, diversity and physiology of halophilic bacteria, bioenergetic aspects of halophilism, osmoregulation, molecular approaches to elucidate community structure and dynamics, physiology and molecular biology of alkaliphiles and acidophiles, biochemistry of alkaline and acidic enzymes and their biotechnological applications, tolerance mechanisms for pH variation. The use of different molecular biology approaches to elucidate evolutionary lines and phylogenetic affiliation of these groups of microbes will be addressed.

13)  

 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Anaerobic Microbial Metabolism

 LSC DBE 734

 This course gives deep insight on the anaerobic microbial life and on the biochemical and molecular basis for microbial activities involved in energy gain under anoxic conditions and the mechanisms involved in oxygen tolerance.  The metabolic pathways of this anaerobic microbial sector operating in the biodegradation of pollutants contaminating anaerobic habitats will be highlighted.  The course emphasizes the diversity of anaerobic bacteria and focuses on methanogenes, acetogens, nitrate reducing bacteria, sulfate reducing bacteria, iron reducing bacteria as well as on carbohydrate-and amino acids-fermenting facteria.  The biochemistry and molecular basis for the metabolism of different classes of hydrocarbons under anoxic conditions will be treated in details. 

14)  

 Biofilms and Polymers

 LSC DBE 735

 This course highlights the ecological biochemical and molecular biology aspects of biofilm- and biopolymer-producing microorganisms as well as the biotechnological applications of biofilms and biopolymers.  Biofilms tackled topics include:  structure and chemistry of biofilms and factors affecting their formation, the microbial activities within biofilms, the roles of biofilms in colonization and adhesion of microorganisms, in pathogenesis of microorganisms, in metal corrosion, in biofouling, in food and pharmaceutical industries, methods to control biofilms.  The structure as well as the chemistry of biopolymers and the extracellular polymeric substances will be treated in details the course will cover also biopolymers and the extracellular polymeric substances will be treated in details.  The course will cover also biopolymer-related topics such as:  the role of biopolymers in sustainable development and implementing the principles of industrial ecology, potential uses of biopolymers in biodiesel, automotive parts, wastewater treatment, construction industry, degradable plastics, detergents, removal of heave metals from aqueous solutions, and many medical applications such as in drug delivery systems in bone implants and tissue patch materials.

15)  

 Advanced Topics in Environmental Biotechnology

 LSC DBE 739

 The most recent advances, major achievements, current research activities and future applications of environmental biotechnology will be introduced in this course. The students will be exposed to the relevant literature concerning a particular topic. The current status and the pending research questions will be discussed.

 Elective Courses in Biotechnology

16)  

 Bio-Membrane Structure & Function

 LSC DB 721

 This course introduces the structure-function relationship of biological membranes and the tools required to study them. The course is designed to emphasize the organization of biological membranes and their structure, dynamics and biosynthesis of membrane proteins and lipids, the role of voltage- and receptor-gated ion channels in cell function, characterization of phospholipases, intracellular membrane trafficking pathways, membrane passive and active transport, membrane fusion and trafficking, lysosomal biogenesis, membrane receptors and transduction mechanisms, and biocompatibility and liposome applications to drug delivery. Also included are the biochemical methods for their analysis, spectroscopic techniques for estimating their conformation, interaction, and state of motion as well as applications to biotechnology.

17)  

 Instrumental Methods of Analysis in Biotechnology

 LSC DB 722

 This course covers the concepts and techniques necessary to work effectively with various analytical instruments used in biotechnological research. Emphasis is placed on providing the students with sufficient theoretical background, operating procedures and applications of each instrument so that the students will be able to develop a critical approach to an analytical problem and to evaluate the significance of the data produced. Instrumental techniques covered include spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, atomic absorption spectrometry, gas chromatography, HPLC and electrochemical techniques.

18)  

 Enzymes in Biotechnology

 LSC DB 723

 This course provides a theoretical and practical grounding in enzymology and the biotechnological applications of enzymes. Students will obtain a solid knowledge of classification and nomenclature of enzymes, enzyme kinetics, reaction mechanisms, factors affecting enzyme activity, isolation and identification of enzymes. The biotechnological applications of enzymes will also be studies including immobilized enzymes and their applications to industrial conversions and environmental studies, enzyme electrocatalysis, biosensors and enzyme engineering.

19)  

 Fundamentals of Bio-Processing

 LSC DB 724

 This course discusses the commercial applications of bioprocesses to medical products, environmental problems, and pharmaceutical industry. Students are introduced to processes such as gene cloning, culture scale-up, downstream processing, product purification, minimizing waste, increasing production efficiency, techniques used in the discovery, development and evaluation of biologically active materials prior to its verification, validation and special governmental agency marketing approval. Students will get knowledge on fermentation, bioreactors, and specific application in environmental biology such as biodegradable waste, and production of enzymes, flavors, vitamins, antibiotics, single cell proteins, diagnostics, and other economical applications

20)  

 Bioinorganic Chemistry

 LSC DB 725

 This course is an introduction to naturally occurring bioinorganic systems, various molecular therapies and passive and active imaging agents based on bioinorganic materials. Topics include chemistry and stereochemistry of prominent bioinorganic elements, basis of coordination chemistry, metalloenzymes, electron transfer reactions and metalloproteins, metal-DNA-RNA chemistry and photochemistry, signal transduction and metals in medicine.

21)  

 Biodiversity and Conservation

 LSC DB 726

 This course provides an outline of the underlying ecological processes, the evolutionary development of biodiversity and the resulting inventory of life’s variety; genetic, taxonomic and ecological. The dangers, natural and human, as well as the approaches to conserve natural habitats and the sustainable use of biodiversity are also discussed. The applications of biotechnologies to protect endangered species will also be highlighted.

22)  

 Biotechnology Project Management

 LSC DB 727

 The course focuses on the role of efficient biotechnology mangers and the quality of leadership, developing partnerships with other businesses, customers and competitors, skills in: communication, negotiations, conflict resolution, and team management. The student will gain knowledge on the ability of a biotechnology leader to put short and long term strategies and tactics for the business projects and to implement change in the constantly changing atmosphere using motivation, loyalty and incentives. The course emphasizes on how a biotechnology manager must engage in innovative problem-solving; manage horizontally and across teams; and utilize technology as a competitive advantage to his side.

23)  

 Economic and Marketing Aspects of Biotechnology

 LSC DB 728

 The course explores forces facing biotechnology companies that define their survivorship, success or failure; issues such as venture capital, banking, consulting and general management considering risk estimation, research and development, cost and payoff, competitive industries, alternative products, and the overall market. The course introduces students to the strategic and tactical approaches used in marketing of a biotechnological product or service. Additionally, students will gain knowledge on steps needed before marketing a scientific product or service such as approval by regulatory agencies like FDA, OSHA, DA, EPA, and thorough understanding of a marketing plan necessary, pricing strategies, distribution, alternatives in the market, communications, promotion, and importance of perception for marketing terminology and techniques.

24)  

 Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Issues in Biotechnology

 LSC DB 729

 The course discusses the ethical issues arising from developments in biotechnology in the fields of human, plant, animal, and microbial genetics. Potential problems facing individuals and communities at regional, national, and global levels, issues like the impact of biotechnology on environment, health, and food will be explored. Additionally, the course covers the basic legal notions in the conduct of biomedical research with human subjects, patents, licensing, exclusive rights, and corporate laws and their compatibility with the Human Rights code. The students will be exposed to the standards used to assure safety and efficacy of biotechnological products from production facility licensing to industry regulation by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Quality System (QS) regulation.