ABE Curriculum

Foundations of Biotech

The Foundations of Biotech labs introduce students to biotech techniques and concepts through the exploration of recombinant DNA technology. The labs parallel some of the important steps the pharmaceutical biotechnology industry uses to manufacture drugs (therapeutic proteins) to treat a variety of diseases.

Sequences of these labs were designed to give options to teachers based on their needs. The interactive map below provides an overview of all of the different labs students can conduct. 

Click on the circles in the map to learn more about the techniques and objectives of each lab,
as well as to explore the Big Idea of the Foundations of Biotech labs.

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Exploring Precision Medicine

ABE’s Exploring Precision Medicine module explores the connections between genes and traits. Students learn how slight genetic differences can impact how well a patient responds to certain medications and explore how future physicians may use DNA sequencing to inform clinical decision-making. Students examine how variations in a gene influence individuals’ abilities to taste the bitter compound “PTC” and then compare these tiny differences to those responsible for variations in drug metabolism. 

This unit is designed for students who are already comfortable with pipetting, gel electrophoresis and PCR (students may not have performed PCR but should be familiar with what it is and how it is used). Students should also be comfortable with the central dogma, DNA pairing and other basic topics commonly taught in a general biology genetics unit. The unit takes 1.5-2 weeks to teach.