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Chartres cathedral 1194-1260

Chartres cathedral 1194-1260. Biotechnology: Industry expectations and Technological Evolution Implications for the well-educated student. Part 1: Industry context in Australia and industry requirements

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Chartres cathedral 1194-1260

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  1. Chartres cathedral 1194-1260

  2. Biotechnology: Industry expectations andTechnological EvolutionImplications for the well-educated student.

  3. Part 1: Industry context in Australia and industry requirements • Part 2: An evolutionary/generational definition of biotechnology that captures technological change

  4. Part 1

  5. Australia: Industry context 2001 • 190 core biotech companies • 460 non-core/support companies • 5,700 employees • +46% fulltime equiv. employees 1999 to 2001 Source: E &Y, 2001

  6. Australia: Industry context 2006 • 427 core biotech companies • 625 medical device companies • Biotech employment doubled 2005 to 2006 • Now > 12,100 people • Operating in diverse fields • Therapeutics, bioprospecting, livestock genetics, molecular biology, biosensors, diagnostics, plant biotechnology, process technology, vaccines Source:Hopper & Thorburn Innovation Dynamics, 2007

  7. Key features of biotechnology • Trans-disciplinary • Rapidly evolving and emerging fields • Nanotech, proteomics, genomics, bioinformatics, PTGS • A very diverse industry • A large number of small companies

  8. Implications for teaching • How should we deliver our teaching, for what seems to be a moving target? • Content? • Teaching methods?

  9. Are we delivering what industry needs? • Core content knowledge • Generic skills

  10. A Review of Biotechnology Education & Industry Needs in Australia: Funded by AUTC/DEST and Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

  11. What did we ask?

  12. Asked of industry • What 3 attributes / abilities do you look for in graduates when they commence employment with your company?

  13. * * *

  14. Asked of industry • What 3 areas of technical knowledge do you see as most important amongst your scientists?

  15. Technical Knowledge * * *

  16. Asked of industry • List skills requirements most affected by these technological developments in your company.

  17. *

  18. * * * * * 2002 2004

  19. Ranking of key skills by Universities & Industry U n i v e r s i t y I n d u s t r y M o l e c u l a r b i o l o g y 1 1 O t h e r c h e m i s t r y 2 2 P r o t e i n c h e m i s t r y 3 3 I m m u n o l o g y 1 1 4 * C e l l a n d t i s s u e c u l t u r e 7 5 M i c r o b i o l o g y 5 6 P r o t e o m i c s * 3 7 * R e g u l a t o r y / Q A 1 5 8 Discordances marked with asterisks

  20. Recommendations • Do not dilute the chemistry

  21. Recommendations • Strong industry demand for certain ‘generic attributes’: • Problem solving • Teamwork • Communication • Creativity • Enthusiasm

  22. Recommendations • Implications for pedagogy • More problem based learning ?? • Core knowledge? • More team based activities ? • More hands-on, task based application of core knowledge?

  23. The future • Students paying more • Changing student expectations (customers) • Changing course preferences • Will there be sufficient numbers of science grads to fuel the new economy? • 23% decline in science enrolments 1989-2002 • Will there be sufficient investment to sustain innovation in Australia? • Will there be investment in core training in fundamentals like chemistry?

  24. Part 2 Evolutionary/generational definition of biotechnology.

  25. Part 2 • A static definition: • Application of biological knowledge for generation of products that are or will be valued by society • Value is contestable and changes over time

  26. Part 2 • Value is contestable and changes over time • Stage of development of the society • Risks to which it is exposed • people give you different definitions

  27. Part 2 • Don’t know what biotechnology is. • Narrow definition • They take a lot for granted. • health/longevity • They don’t know he details of how their food is produced • Supermarket mentality/urbanisation

  28. Taking a lot for granted

  29. A Question • What was average life expectancy at birth in Western Europe in 1750?

  30. Answer • 33 years

  31. Why? • No vaccines • No antisepsis • No antibiotics • No analgaesia • No knowledge of germ theory

  32. The Plague Doctor, Venice, 17th Century Courtesy Omnia, Lido de Venezia

  33. Year ??

  34. Year 1796

  35. Definition of biotechnology • An evolutionary/generational definition is best.

  36. First generation • Plant breeding • Collection of herbs for medicine • Animal breeding • Bread making • Wine, beer, sake (Saccaromyces cerevisieae; Actinomyces, Leuconostoc) • Fermented food products • Yoghurt • Cheese • Soy • Chocolate (!)

  37. First generation Bacillus Hanseniaspora Pichia membranifasciens Microorganisms in fermentation and flavour formation of cocoa to make chocolate Saccharomyces cerevisiae

  38. First generation Microorganisms per gram during fermentation of cocoa to make chocolate

  39. First generation

  40. Yeast cells (dividing) Amarna 1550-1070 BC Courtesy Delwen Samuel, King’s College, London

  41. Pitted Starch granules, evidence of malting. Tomb, Deir el Medina Courtesy Delwen Samuel, King’s College, London

  42. Historical facts: • Humans have always guided evolution of crops! • A very small sample of wild plants were chosen and domesticated • More than 10,000 years of genetic selection

  43. Historical facts …..cont • Crops strains and genes have moved around the globe for centuries • All crops we grow today were once wild plants but no crop would survive in the wild anymore (without human support)

  44. They bear little physical resemblance to their wild ancestors Fig.1 Wild varieties of potato from the Americas

  45. Improving on crop plants Development of modern varieties – how was it done? • Hybridization • Disease resistance • Increased yield • Crosses with wild relations • Some do not breed true so it is necessary for farmers to repurchase seeds

  46. The products of these methods have led to crop characteristics (phenotypes) as different as Great Danes and Chihuahuas.

  47. Fig.2 Wild chili variety Fig. 3 Selected chili variety

  48. Modern methods of crop improvement: • Are relatively more precise and predictable • Transfer a few genes into crop plants in contrast to random shuffling of older approaches • Can determine exactly where the genes have been inserted (Polymerase chain reaction) • Can measure the effect on all proteins in the plant • Mass spectrometry • HPLC

  49. Benefits • Decreased pesticide usage • Decreased fuel consumption • Decreased crop losses to pests and disease • Papaya anecdote (Hawaii) • Increased nutrient efficiency • nitrogen fixing cereals • Vitamins • Increased crop yields.

  50. GM crops • 220 million acres under GM crops in 2005 • 1/3 in developing countries • In India and Australia , 70% reduction in organochlorine and organophosphorous pesticides

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