BIOEN 498/599 – Global Health Technology: Molecular Diagnostics (WIN 2016)
Class detail: 4 credits, Spring 2016, WF 3:30pm-4:50pm, plus lab sessions to be arranged
Instructor: Dr. Barry Lutz, Department of Bioengineering (blutz@uw.edu)
Course Description: The course will teach engineers principles, tools, and technologies needed to practice or develop nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) diagnostics and their context in global health.
Overview: Analysis of DNA or RNA markers has revolutionized disease diagnosis, and translating this capability to low-resource settings is a major global health need. The goal of the course is for students to gain functional understanding and a baseline understanding of nucleic acid diagnostics, for developed world or global health settings. The first half of the course introduces the core processes in nucleic acid diagnostics with a focus on the underlying engineering analysis. In addition, we will touch upon translational issues and technical constraints of low-resource global health settings. Coursework will include application of engineering principles and quantitative analysis, but will be accessible to undergraduate students and graduate students with general chemistry, math, and engineering skills. Graduate students will complete an extra project assignment. This quarter we are adding a lab component that will address core processes including sample preparation, nucleic acid binding, enzyme kinetics, and detection.
Prerequisites: basic chemistry, differential equations (contact instructor for exceptions)
Topics covered may include:
- Types of nucleic acids and their role in diagnostics (pathogen vs human, DNA, RNA, etc)
- Structure and function of DNA and RNA (bases, base pairing, replication)
- Thermodynamics and kinetics of nucleic acid hybridization (fundamentals, tools)
- Enzyme function in context of diagnostic assays (functions, rates, stability)
- Detection of nucleic acids (electrophoresis, absorbance, probes, lateral flow strips)
- Molecular mechanisms of nucleic acid amplification methods (PCR, isothermal)
- Chemical design (stoichiometry, rates) and modeling nucleic acid amplification methods
- Genomic tools for design of diagnostics assays (pathogen gene targets, specificity)
- Sample types and sample preparation (lysis, disruption, protection, purification)
- Devices and instruments for nucleic acid diagnostics (laboratory and point-of-care)
- Designing for global health settings (resources, usability requirements)
- Test validation (samples, regulatory) and commercialization (market, major players)