BIO411 Plant-based production platforms for high-value proteins

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Odd Arne Rognli

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Course frequency:Fall 2024 and fall 2028

Nominal workload:150 hours

Teaching and exam period:Sep 9th - 20th, 2024

About this course

Plants have many important applications as food, feed, medicine etc. In addition, plants can be used as a green factory to produce high value recombinant proteins e.g. human and animal vaccines for injection and/or oral administration, therapeutics, and enzymes with various applications. This hands-on training would allow the students and researchers to understand the potential of plants and how to use the plant biotechnological tools and the green plant resources for the benefit of people, animals, and bio-based economy. You will learn the theory behind through lectures, and the key steps of the technology through hands-on training. Both Nicotiana benthamiana and lettuce plants will be used to produce:

  • A salmon viral vaccine antigen
  • A red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter gene

Learning outcome

Knowledge about plant biotechnology including CRISPR genome editing, and the advantages and limitations of using plants to produce desirable high value proteins.

Skills on hands-on training using "learning by doing" approach to provide students with the opportunity to produce a candidate salmon viral vaccine antigen and RFP reporter gene. Students will also carry out laboratory analysis of one’s own products using PCR and evaluation the PCR result.

  • Learning activities

    Lectures, lab, and seminar:70 h

    Reading course materials, self-study, home assignment - case study on an application of plant-based compound production: 80 h.

    Teaching support: Canvas

  • Teaching support
    Canvas
  • Prerequisites

    Plant biotechnology course equivalent to NMBU 200 level course

    Plant molecular biology course equivalent to NMBU 200 level course

  • Assessment method
    Approved case-study report and lab report (passed/failed).

  • Mandatory activity

    Mandatory work requirements for admittance to the exam (graded essay) are:

    1. The attendance of all lectures

    2. The performance of all lab activities after an appropriate familiarization with the course information material

    3. The presentation of a seminar topic

  • Teaching hours
    A day by day plan for the course is found here: Plant-based production platforms for high-value proteins - Photosyntech
  • Preferential right
    This course is part of the Norwegian Graduate School Photosyntech. Resources are covered by Photosyntech through a flat rate as outlined in the Photosyntech consortium agreement and its supplements. Please see the Photosyntech web page for more information about the course (https://photosyntech.no/courses-and-activities/ )