Biochemistry

General skills. At the end of the course and after passing the exam, the student will have acquired the knowledge and skills in the areas listed below. In general, he/she will be able to: know the biochemistry and the main genome editing methods for microorganisms for industrial use, design the genetic improvement of industrial strains and critically read articles in international scientific journals concerning the topics of the course. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, the student will have the ability to interpret and explain the applications of synthetic biology and the rewiring of metabolic biochemical circuits. Students' critical and judgment skills will be developed thanks to class exercises, in which videos will be projected and numerical exercises carried out, and practical laboratory experiences, in which they will apply the concepts studied in class, performing and interpreting experiments that will be in the future able to reproduce autonomously. Communication skills will be exercised during the theoretical lessons, which include moments of open discussion. In the future, the student will be able to integrate the knowledge and skills just described for the applications of microbial biotechnologies also in other fields, such as the medical one, and in basic research. Specific skills. a) knowledge and understanding: - Knowledge and understanding of the physiology, biochemistry and genetics of microorganisms used in industrial microbial biotechnologies; - Knowledge of the different microbial metabolisms; - Knowledge and understanding of the main genome editing techniques on microorganisms of industrial interest; - Knowledge and understanding of the principles of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering; b) ability to apply knowledge and understanding: - ability to describe and explain the physiology and biochemistry of industrial microorganisms; - ability to apply appropriate techniques to problems of industrial production; c) autonomy of judgment: - knowing how to independently solve microbial growth problems; - being able to identify the best microorganisms for the production of a metabolite of interest; - knowing how to select and evaluate the most appropriate techniques to solve a bottleneck in the production of a metabolite; d) communication skills: - be able to illustrate and explain the physiology and biochemistry of the microorganisms of interest with appropriate terms and with logical rigor; - being able to describe the main molecular techniques for the modification of microorganisms; - being able to describe the industrial productions described in class; e) learning skills: - acquisition of the fundamentals and cognitive tools to autonomously pursue the study of microbial biotechnologies; - acquisition of basic knowledge for the applications of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering; - ability to apply biochemical and molecular techniques in laboratory working environments.