BTEC 620 - Emerging Trends in Diagnostics

(3 semester hours)
Prerequisites: None
Description: This course provides an overview of the fundamental principles of molecular diagnostics and explores the use of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of disease/infection/contaminants. Diagnostics has impacted several fields such as human health, environment, and food and agriculture. Development of novel diagnostics technologies have depended on discovery of biomarkers for multiple applications in fields such as drug discovery, drug delivery, and diagnostics in general. Topics covered in this course include: biomarkers, protein and nucleic acid structure-function, identification and amplification techniques used in infectious disease diagnosis, components of a molecular diagnostics, companion diagnostics, and evaluation of controls to validate results obtained. This course allows innovative use of current literature and technology with an entrepreneurship element. The student has an opportunity to use course material and available technology to design a conceptual assay/device for a chosen target and integrate it into a conceptual course project assignment.