Fundamentals of Experimental Molecular Biology
MIT OpenCourseWare's lab-based biology course (7.002) teaches core molecular biology techniques through a semester-long study of ClpX, an E. coli bacterial ATPase. Students work through site-directed mutagenesis, DNA isolation, molecular cloning, bacterial transformation, recombinant protein expression and purification, gel electrophoresis, and western blotting, the standard toolkit of a working biochemistry lab. The course emphasizes experimental design and data analysis alongside factual content, aiming to prepare students for actual research work rather than just memorized procedure. Materials include lab manuals, protocols, and assignments as published on MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered. It suits students who want hands-on grounding in how molecular biology experiments are actually planned, run, and interpreted, not just described in a textbook.