Students will identify antibiotic-producing bacterial isolates from environmental samples. They will participate in a self-directed research project that will involve working with faculty to generate hypotheses. Students will also perform one or more antibiotic discovery and/or antibacterial chemical experiments and use advanced lab techniques including the UHPLC to fractionate and analyze chemical extracts. Cannot earn credit if already taken BIOT 897 Special Topic "Antibiotic Discovery".

Principles and technical skills fundamental to the culture of animal cells. Introduction to the techniques of sub-culturing, establishing primary cultures, karyotyping, cloning, growth curves, and cryopreservation. Techniques involving culturing mammalian cells in bioreactors will be introduced. Application of cell culture to contemporary research in biotechnology through independent projects.

In this course students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of biomaterials, gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineering. We will cover chemical, structural, and biological aspects of therapeutic materials along with systemic literature reviews involving advanced therapy medical products (ATMPs) utilizing molecules, genes, cells, and tissues. We will also discuss synthetic polymers and biomolecules such as peptides, proteins, polysaccharides and oligonucleotides. No credit for students who have taken BIOT 897 "Top/Advanced Therapies".

Introduction to stem cells and how biomaterials are utilized in their applications involving biotechnology and biomedical engineering. Lab topics such as aseptic technique, stem cell cultures, biomaterials engineering, bioprinting, biocompatibility and bioactivity analyses will be covered. Lectures will focus on the current literature while the lab portion involves inquiry-based projects that will investigate how biomaterials and molecules modulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation.