Methods in biotechnology

The course is divided into 2 teaching units. A general introduction will allow the student to gather sufficient knowledge in genetics and molecular biology to be able to understand the scientific content of the two modules. The goal of the course is to acquire knowledge and operational competencies in genomics, functional genomics and applications to plant improvement. More in detail, the genomics module will provide knowledge in sequencing technologies, genome analysis, and their applications to plant breeding with focus on sustainability objectives. The functional genomics module will provide knowledge on RNA biology, methods for studying the transcriptome and integration of omics approaches to infer gene function.

The student will acquire competencies in generating and analyzing data through the genomics and functional-genomics techniques. The student will be able to plan experiments using genomic sequencing, gene expression analyses, and their integration with metabolomics and proteomics. More in details, the student will be able to design a positional cloning mapping experiment, and to analyze genomics data using one or more benchmark software for genome wide analyses. The student will be able to interpret transcriptomic experiments, design and analyse qPCR experiment for validation of transcriptomic data and use databases with valuable functional genomics information. The student will learn practically how to work with RNA.