Module 1 Biotechnology Basics Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Lessons for Module Overview of Biotechnology 1.2 Cell Structure and Function 1.3 DNA Structure and Function 1.4 Protein Synthesis 1.5 Protein Structure and Function 1.6 Math Skills 1.7 Lab Overview Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Goals for Lesson 1.7  Identify and describe the function of common lab tools of the biotechnician.  Understand how to set up a high school biotech program.  Describe the organization of an industrial biotech lab. Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Common Tools of a Biotechnician Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Electronic Balance Can be tared to zero and used to determine the mass of a sample Provides a digital readout and usually has a sensitivity to + / grams Common Tools of a Biotechnician Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Demonstration of how to use the Electronic Balance

Common Tools of a Biotechnician  Micropipette Used to accurately transfer very small volumes (usually less than one milliliter, and as little as 0.1 microliters) Adjustable for measuring different volumes and used with disposable plastic tips Demonstration of micropipetting Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Gel Electrophoresis A technique used to separate molecules in a gel matrix when subjected to an electrical field Common Tools of a Biotechnician Preparing an agarose gel Pouring an agarose gel Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Microcentrifuge Spins at a high speed and can be used to separate particles in a liquid medium Holds tubes up to about 2 ml Common Tools of a Biotechnician Demonstration of a microcentrifuge Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 pH meter Most solutions in a biotechnology lab must have a carefully controlled pH. A pH meter is a volt meter that measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution. Common Tools of a Biotechnician Demonstration of pH Meter Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Helpful Resources for a High School Biotech Lab  General Lab Safety Guidelines  Never eat or drink in the lab.  Wear splashproof goggles and avoid wearing contact lenses.  Wear gloves and assume all biological material is infectious.  Keep work areas free of clutter.  Keep long hair pulled back.  Do not wear open-toed shoes.  Clean up work stations and wash hands before leaving the lab. Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Companies sell comprehensive biotechnology lab stations.  Partner with local community colleges. Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Equipment Start Up List Helpful Resources for a High School Biotech Lab

 Maintain a lab notebook  To record what was done and observed  To trace the manufacture of a product  To verify a procedure was done correctly  To develop and adhere to standard operating procedures Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved. Helpful Resources for a High School Biotech Lab

Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Organization of a Biotech Company  Research and Development R&D is an organizational unit that develops ideas for products. R&D is directly involved in designing and running experiments to see if ideas are feasible. R&D is responsible for developing promising ideas into marketable products. Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Production/Manufacturing This department manufactures products that have been given to them by R&D. Production often involves scale-up of protocols. Provides routine cleaning, calibration, and conducts maintenance of equipment. Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Quality Assurance/Quality Control Monitors and checks final products for quality before they are sent to the consumer Compares data to established standards Maintains rigorous documentation Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Support Departments Support departments fill and package bulk products in individual containers for customer use. Metrology ensures instruments are operating properly. Facilities technicians maintain critical day-to-day functions such as housekeeping and repairs. Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education A.gency All rights reserved.

 Business Services Business departments are responsible for marketing and sale of the product. Accounting department manages financial reports. Customer service interacts with customers to address questions and complaints. Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

 Regulatory Affairs Many products are regulated by government agencies and a regulatory affairs staff is needed to interpret the rules and ensure compliance with these three federal agencies 1.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – regulates the safety of genetically modified food and pharmaceutical products 2.U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – regulates the purity and quality of meat, poultry, and eggs and monitors safety of genetically modified food and plants 3.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – regulates environmental release of genetically modified organisms Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

Virtual Tour of a Biotech Company Organization of a Biotech Company Copyright © Texas Education Agency All rights reserved.

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