Year Level:	Year 12
Industry Focus:	Medical Technologies
Technologies used:	DNA Gel Electrophoresis / Polymerase Chain Reaction / Recombinant Gene Technology / Restriction Enzyme Digest / Restriction Enzymes / UV Illuminator
Max Students:	24
Duration:	5 hours (booking times negotiable)
Booking Eligibility:	Open to all schools
Curriculum Information:	Download PDF

BOOKED OUT FOR 2025 already…..sorry!

In this area of study students investigate the tools and techniques that can be used to manipulate DNA, explain how biological knowledge is applied to biotechnical applications, and analyse the interrelationship between scientific knowledge and its applications in society.

Introduction

DNA manipulation techniques and applications.

Learners apply their knowledge to the structure and function of the DNA molecule to examine how molecular tools and techniques can be used to manipulate the molecule for a particular purpose.

Program Overview

Part One: Transforming Bacteria: Students will create a recombinant plasmid containing insulin and pGlo, then transform the plasmid into E. coli and plate out the transgenic bacteria.
Part Two: Plasmid Digest, PCR and Gel Electrophoresis: Students will digest the plasmid to isolate insulin, run samples through the PCR machine and then run a gel to confirm that the plasmid was recombinant and contained insulin.

This program includes a pre-work activity investigating the bioethics of sourcing insulin from cows and pigs, that will be sent with booking confirmation.

Curriculum Focus

VCE Biology Unit 3 – AOS 1: Outcome 1: What is the role of nucleic acids and proteins in maintaining life?

Analyse the relationship between nucleic acids and proteins

1.1 Nucleic acids as information molecules that encode instructions for the synthesis of proteins: the structure of DNA, the three main forms of RNA (mRNA, rRNA and tRNA) and a comparison of their respective nucleotides

1.2 The genetic code as a universal triplet code that is degenerate and the steps in gene expression, including transcription, RNA processing in eukaryotic cells and translation by ribosomes

1.3 The structure of genes: exons, introns and promoter and operator regions

1.4 The basic elements of gene regulation: prokaryotic trp operon as a simplified example of a regulatory process

1.5 Amino acids as the monomers of a polypeptide chain and the resultant hierarchical levels of structure that give rise to a functional protein

1.6 Proteins as a diverse group of molecules that collectively make an organism’s proteome, including enzymes as catalysts in biochemical pathways

1.7 The role of rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and associated vesicles in the export of proteins from a cell via the protein secretory pathway

DNA manipulation techniques and applications

2.1 The use of enzymes to manipulate DNA, including polymerase to synthesise DNA, ligase to join DNA and endonucleases to cut DNA

2.2 The function of CRISPR-Cas9 in bacteria and the application of this function in editing an organism’s genome

2.3 Amplification of DNA using polymerase chain reaction and the use of gel electrophoresis in sorting DNA fragments, including the interpretation of gel runs for DNA profiling

2.4 The use of recombinant plasmids as vectors to transform bacterial cells as demonstrated by the production of human insulin

2.5 The use of genetically modified and transgenic organisms in agriculture to increase crop productivity and to provide resistance to disease.