(Taken from the UC Berkeley Course Guide)
This senior-level course is a comprehensive survey of genetic devices. These DNA-based constructs are comprised of multiple "parts" that together encode a higher-level biological behavior and perform useful human-defined functions. Such constructs are the engineering target for most projects in synthetic biology. Included within this class of constructs are genetic circuits, sensors, biosynthetic pathways, and microbiological functions.
CS 61A, MATH 53, MATH 54, CHEM 3A, CHEM 3B or BIOE 11, BIOE 103 or equivalent
Students will receive no credit for 132 after taking 232
(1) To introduce the basic biology and engineering principles for constructing genetic devices including biochemical devices, microbiological devices, genetic circuits, eukaryotic devices, and developmental devices, (2) To familiarize students with current literature examples of genetic devices and develop literature searching skills; (3) To develop the students' ability to apply computational tools to the design of genetic devices.
Students will be able to (1) use mathematical models to describe the dynamics of genetic devices, (2) comprehend and evaluate publications related to any type of genetic device, (3) perform a thorough literature search, (4) evaluate the technical plausibility of a proposed genetic device, (5) analyze a design challenge and propose a plausible solution to it in the form of a genetic device, and (6) assess any ethical or safety issues associated with a proposed genetic device.
3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week.