ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 1 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 16 Total: 41
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Microbiology and Parasitology, Morphological Science, Functional Biology
Areas: Microbiology, Human Anatomy and Embryology, Plant Physiology
Center Faculty of Biology
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
- Understanding the general concepts of biotechnology and relate them to other core and specific subjects in the Degree in Biology.
- Introducing the students to genetic engineering techniques and their impact on the development of biotechnology and society.
- Understanding the importance of microorganisms in biotechnology and their application in different fields (industrial, environmental, clinical, etc.).
- Knowing the physiological bases and methodology of plant propagation through in vitro culture, and its practical applications in today's industry.
- Acquiring knowledge of the genetic modification of plants, their methods, applications, and evaluation.
- Defining the basic principles of medical biotechnology.
- Knowing the main applications of biotechnology in medicine and healthcare, with special attention to the field of regenerative medicine.
- Achieving basic knowledge of the subject, both theoretical and practical, for its potential application in the labor market.
Theory Program: Lectures (26 hours)
BLOCK I. Biotechnology and Society
Topic 1. History and Development of Biotechnology (2.5 hours)
Topic 2. Ethical Aspects of Biotechnology (0.5 hours)
BLOCK II. Genetic Engineering and Applications
Topic 3. Introduction to Recombinant DNA Technology (4 hours)
Topic 4. Transgenic Animals (1.5 hours)
Topic 5. Gene Therapy (1 hour)
BLOCK III. Microbial Biotechnology
Topic 6. Use of Microorganisms in Industrial Biotechnology Processes (1 hour)
Topic 7. Vaccines (1.5 hours)
BLOCK IV. Medical Biotechnology
Topic 8. Introduction to Medical Biotechnology (0.5 hours)
Topic 9. Regenerative Medicine, Cell Therapy, and Tissue Engineering (4.5 hours)
Topic 10. New applications of biotechnology in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases (1 h).
BLOCK V. Plant Biotechnology
Topic 11. Introduction to plant biotechnology (1 h).
Topic 12. In vitro culture, somatic embryogenesis, and micropropagation (2 h).
Topic 13. Methods of genetic transformation of plants (1.5 h).
Topic 14. Applications of plant biotechnology (1.5 h).
Laboratory practices (10 hours)
P1 and P2. Microbial Biotechnology.
P3. Medical Biotechnology. Cell therapy. Study of cell transplant preparations.
P4 and P5. Plant Biotechnology. Preparation of culture medium, asepsis of plant material, and introduction and morphogenic responses in vitro.
Basic bibliography
(Blocks I, II y III)
Clark, D. P. & Pazdernik, N. J. (2016) Biotechnology. Second edition. London: Academic Cell. Available on-line.
Thieman, W. J. & Palladino, M. A. (2010) Introducción a la biotecnología. Segunda edición. Madrid: Pearson Educación. Available on-line.
Lee, Y. K. (2006) Microbial biotechnology: principles and applications. Second edition. New Jersey: World Scientific.
(Block IV)
Atala A., Lanza R., Mikos T. and Nerem R. (Eds.). Principles of regenerative medicine. 3rd ed. New York: Elsevier Academic Press: 2019. Available on-line.
Khan, F. Advances in application of stem cells: from bench to clinics. Switzerland: Springer; 2021. Available on-line.
Slack, J.M.W. The science of stem cells. Hoboken: John Wiley; 2018. Available on-line.
(Block V)
Slater, A., Scott, N.W. and Fowler, M.R., 2008. Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Complementary bibliography
Papers from scientific journals de revistas científicas relacionadas con la materia. Available on-line.
Lamm, E., Leyton, F., Casado, M.J., Lecuona, I. (2019) Derecho y bioética: cuestiones jurídicas y éticas de la biomedicina y la biotecnología. Primera edición. Barcelona: Editorial UOC. Available on-line.
Knowledge
Con02: Know and understand the physical and chemical principles of biology.
Con03: Know the origin of life, the mechanisms of inheritance, and its evolution.
Con05: Know the structure of biomolecules, their physicochemical properties, and relate them to their functions, integrating the different levels of organization of living beings.
Con06: Understand the principles of bioenergetics and biosignaling, and understand the main metabolic pathways and their regulation, as well as the flow of genetic and biochemical information in living beings.
Con07: Know and understand the structure and function of viruses, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic cells.
Con08: Know and understand the development, morphology, and anatomy of living beings.
Con09: Understand and integrate the functioning and regulation of the main physiological processes of living beings as well as their interaction with the biotic and abiotic environment.
Skills/Abilities
H/D01: Apply acquired theoretical and practical knowledge in an integrated manner to convey information/ideas and to pose and solve problems, both in academic and professional contexts.
H/D02: Know how to obtain and interpret relevant information and experimental results and draw conclusions on topics related to Biology.
H/D03: Study and learn independently, organizing time and resources, new knowledge and techniques in Biology.
H/D07: Ability to search, process, analyze, and synthesize information from various sources, including the use of ICTs in the field of Biology.
H/D08: Capacity for reasoning, argumentation, and critical thinking.
H/D09: Ability to organize and plan work.
H/D10: Ability to work in groups and collectively address problematic situations.
H/D11: Ability to prepare and present an organized and understandable text, adequately reflecting the sources of information used.
H/D13: Maintain an ethical commitment, as well as a commitment to equality and inclusion.
H/D14: Initiative, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and adaptation to new situations (resilience).
Competencies
Comp01: Students must have demonstrated that they possess, understand, and utilize knowledge from the different areas of Biology, including some cutting-edge aspects of their field of study.
Comp02: Students must have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
Comp03: Students must be able to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possess the skills typically demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and problem-solving within their area of study.
Comp04: Know and apply instrumental techniques and design work protocols in the laboratory and in the field, applying appropriate regulations and techniques related to safety, hygiene, waste management, quality, and sustainable development.
Comp06: Be able to convey information both in writing and orally and to discuss ideas, problems, and solutions related to Biology, before a general or specialized audience.
Comp07: Be able to integrate into interdisciplinary teams and apply theoretical and practical knowledge to solve complex problems, participate in scientific, technical, or clinical projects in the biomedical field, and ensure health and well-being.
Theoretical Classes:
The theoretical portion of the syllabus will be delivered in lectures, which will be taught in person and in which student participation will be encouraged. Attendance at lectures is voluntary; however, as detailed in the following section (see Assessment System, section b, iii), student attendance, attitude, and participation in lectures will be assessed as part of the continuous assessment. The faculty will use a computer and a projector to project presentations to explain the material. As support material, they will use a whiteboard, PDF documents, videos, and web pages with information that can be worked on interactively with students to generate discussions, debates, or clarifications on specific sections. Students will have access to relevant information related to each topic on the Virtual Campus. During lectures, complementary activities will be carried out, based on case studies or gamification, among other strategies, to reinforce learning.
Practical Classes:
The practical classes will be conducted in person, and attendance is mandatory. Students will receive a detailed script in advance on the Virtual Campus with all the instructions and information necessary to understand and complete the practical classes. The practical classes complement the theoretical classes and are therefore very useful for self-study and reinforcing concepts. In the interactive laboratory classes, the teaching methodology will be based on collaborative learning/group work and problem-solving.
Seminar Classes:
Six one-hour seminars will be organized, led by the faculty and with voluntary attendance. These seminars will generally cover current topics that will allow students to delve deeper into content related to the subject. If students wish, they may, after contacting the professor, propose topics that will then be discussed in a seminar. The Virtual Campus will detail the activity to be carried out, and all necessary materials for each seminar will be provided. In the seminars, student learning will be based on a teaching methodology that prioritizes collaborative learning/work and/or problem-solving.
Individual Tutoring:
Tutoring will be provided to provide learning guidance and resolve any questions. Tutoring is voluntary and can be in person or online using Microsoft Teams (by appointment with the faculty). In addition, a public tutoring forum will be available in the virtual classroom for the course.
The final grade will be obtained by adding the marks obtained in the following sections of the course:
a) Final theory exam: A mandatory in-person final exam will be held and will count for 60% of the final grade. It will assess knowledge of the theoretical content taught in the lectures. To qualify for the remaining continuous assessment, the minimum grade required to pass the theory exam will be 4 out of 10.
b) Continuous assessment: A continuous assessment will be conducted, which will account for 40% of the final grade. The following aspects will be assessed:
i. Practical exercises: Attendance at all practical exercises is mandatory and is a requirement for taking the final theory exam. Knowledge acquired during practical exercises will be assessed through short and/or multiple-choice questions included in the final exam for the course. The practical exam score will represent 15% of the final grade.
ii. Seminars: The content of these seminars will be assessed through: (i) student participation in class; and/or (ii) the completion of quizzes conducted in class at the end of the seminar or on the Virtual Campus. The seminars will be weighted toward the final grade of 15%, with the final score being the sum of the grades obtained in each seminar.
iii. Attendance, attitude, and participation in class will be assessed, as well as the completion and content of the various activities scheduled during the course, which will account for 10% of the final score.
The student's final grade will be the sum of the weighted grades obtained for the continuous assessment and the final exam in each of the areas (the grade for the theoretical content of each area of knowledge must be equal to or greater than 4 out of 10 to be able to add the remaining merits to the continuous assessment). To pass the subject, it will be necessary to obtain a minimum of five points (unweighted) in each of the areas.
Students who do not pass the course in the first assessment opportunity of the academic year will only have to take the theoretical exam the second time, retaining their continuous assessment grade. In the second assessment opportunity of the academic year, only the theoretical exam will be taken, retaining their continuous assessment grade. If students pass one of the exam sections (given by each area of knowledge) the first time, this grade will be retained only the second time.
The continuous assessment grade will be retained for the two subsequent academic years if they fail the course.
The assessment of the skills acquired in the course will be carried out through the following methods:
1. In the exam: Con02, Con03, Con05, Con06, Con07, Con08, Con09, H/D01, H/D02, H/D08, Comp01, Comp03, Comp06.
2. In the laboratory exercises: Con02, Con05, Con06, Con07, Con08, Con09, H/D02, H/D10, H/D13, H/D14, Comp02, Comp03, Comp04, Compo07.
3. In the seminar exercises: Con02, Con03, Con05, Con06, Con07, Con08, Con09, H/D07, H/D08, H/D10, H/D11, H/D13, H/D14, Comp02, Comp03, Comp06, Comp07.
In cases of fraudulent performance of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Normativa de evaluación del rendimiento académico de los estudiantes y de revisión de calificaciones (Resolución del 15 de junio de 2011, DOG del 21 de julio de 2011).
Classroom Work (hours)
Lectures.................................24
Seminar Classes................................6
Laboratory Practices........................10
Tutorials................................................1
Exam................................................2
--------------------------------------------------
CLASSROOM WORK................................43
Individual or Group Work (hours)
Individual Study................................60
Preparation of the Practice Paper................9.5
PERSONAL WORK..............................69.5
- Attend all teaching activities and actively participate in them.
- Continued study of the subject.
- Consult the recommended bibliography.
- In-depth study of the topics.
- Make frequent use of tutorials for any questions related to the subject.
Students will have access to a virtual classroom for the course on the Moodle platform, with the resources and communication channels it offers. To efficiently assimilate the content of this course and achieve the required skills, students should have successfully completed the courses "Microbiology I: Fundamentals of Microbiology," "Microbiology II: Microbial Diversity and Applied Microbiology," "Plant Physiology I," "Plant Physiology II," "Cell Biology," "Tissue and Organ Biology," and "Developmental Biology."
Jannette Rodriguez Pallares
- Department
- Morphological Science
- Area
- Human Anatomy and Embryology
- Phone
- 881815466
- jannette.rodriguez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Javier Dubert Perez
- Department
- Microbiology and Parasitology
- Area
- Microbiology
- Category
- PROFESOR/A PERMANENTE LABORAL
Oscar Martinez Troncoso
- Department
- Functional Biology
- Area
- Plant Physiology
- oscar.martinez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: Intern Assistant LOSU
| Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Galician, Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| Thursday | |||
| 13:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Galician, Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| Friday | |||
| 11:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Galician, Spanish | Classroom 06. Diane Fosey and Jane Goodall |
| 05.25.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 01. Charles Darwin |
| 05.25.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 02. Gregor Mendel |
| 07.14.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 04: James Watson and Francis Crick |