IB Synthetic Biology and Research Applications

This lesson plan includes five units - four for standard-level IB students and one for higher-level IB students. Although this curriculum plan provides only an outline of the topics which should be covered in class, it showcases a variety of topics pertinent to synthetic biology right now and serves as a great framework to build upon.

Unit 1: Synthetic Biology - An Overview

1. What is Synthetic Biology?
2. Creating gene circuits/pathways and analyzing their parts
3. Interdisciplinary approach to synthetic biology: bioinformatics, software, and engineering
4. Importance of Public outreach and communication
5. Future applications of biology and biotechnology

Unit 2: Bioethics and Research

1. What is bioethics?
2. Ethical restrictions on research
3. Ethics analysis and assessment
4. Biosafety and Biosecurity - the control of biological material
5. Case Studies on past ethical problems

Unit 3: Medical Applications

1. Biomarkers: production, recognition, and utilization
2. Reporters: Genes, aptamers
3. Detection of pathogens and mutants
4. Gene therapy: insertions/deletions, insulators, enhancers
5. Stem cells and gene engineering
6. Engineering the microbiome: prokaryotic medicine

Unit 4: Building a Better World

1. Food and Nutrition: cryoprotection, nutrient production
2. Environment: Crop yield and ecosystem health
3. Biosensors and bioremediation
4. Electricity production
5. Space tools, carbon utilization, and synthetic tissues

Unit 5: Biological tools and techniques

1. CRISPR: origin, applications, modifications
2. PCRs, gels, and blots
3. Bacterial growth and manipulation
4. Genome sequencing
5. NCBI and other research databases
6. Protein analysis
7. Sequence analysis