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Synthetic Biology I
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:55:06
Abstract
Theoretical & practical introduction into the design of dynamic biological systems at different levels of abstraction, ranging from biological fundamentals of systems design (introduction to bacterial gene regulation, elements of transcriptional & translational control, advanced genetic engineering) to engineering design principles (standards, abstractions) mathematical modelling & systems desig
Objective
After the course, students will be able to theoretically master the biological and engineering fundamentals required for biological design to be able to participate in the international iGEM competition (see www.igem.ethz.ch ).
Content
The overall goal of the course is to familiarize the students with the potential, the requirements and the problems of designing dynamic biological elements that are of central importance for manipulating biological systems, primarily (but not exclusively) prokaryotic systems. Next, the students will be taken through a number of successful examples of biological design, such as toggle switches, pulse generators, and oscillating systems, and apply the biological and engineering fundamentals to these examples, so that they get hands-on experience on how to integrate the various disciplines on their way to designing biological systems.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Handouts during classes.
Literature
Mark Ptashne, A Genetic Switch (3rd ed), Cold Spring Haror Laboratory Press Uri Alon, An Introduction to Systems Biology, Chapman & Hall
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- written 120 minutes
- Aids
- Pocket calculator
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Synthetic Biology I
ATTENTION: the lecture starts at exactly 08.00 am.
The lecture will be held either in Zurich or Basel and will be transmitted via videoconference to the second location.
Lecture will be streamed and recorded.
If the situation allows, this course will take place in classroom after the Easter break.
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3 h weekly |
Offered In
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Recommended Elective Courses (These courses are particularly recommended for the Molecular Bioengineering track. Please consult your track adviser if you wish to select other subjects.)
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Advanced Courses (Students need to aquire a total of 24 ECTS in this category. The list of advanced courses is a closed list, no other course can be added to this category.)
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Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Master (More informations at: )
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Core Courses (Please note that the list of core courses is a closed list. Other courses cannot be added to the core course category in the study plan. Also the assignments of courses to core subcategories cannot be changed. Students need to pass at least one course in each core subcategory. A total of 40 ECTS needs to be acquired in the core course category.)
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