Experimental Molecular Biology: Biotechnology II
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this lab-based course on studying apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in Drosophila cells. Students use RNA interference to silence candidate apoptosis-related genes in cultured cells, working in teams of two or three to design and run original experiments on the pathways that regulate and execute programmed cell death. Some projects incorporate DNA-damaging agents or other cytotoxic chemicals to probe how cells decide to undergo apoptosis. The course builds practical skills in reverse genetics and molecular biology technique alongside instruction in scientific writing and oral presentation. Materials include the syllabus, lab protocols, and assignments from MIT's course, free to access with no certificate offered through OCW.