Beyond the Human Genome - University Course on Biotechnology Created & Taught by Mike Stathis

As more individuals are becoming interested in the biosciences due to the coronavirus pandemic, I felt this might be a good time to release an outline of a course I created and taught on biotechnology nearly two decades ago.

Attached is an abbreviated outline (45-page document) of a university course I created in 2001 and taught at Southern Methodist University (otherwise known as SMU) on biotechnology. To the best of my knowledge this course was the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.

This was an advanced crash course on biotechnology intended for patent attorneys, consultants, angel investors, venture capitalists and anyone else seeking to gain a broad understanding about the potentials of biotechnology.  Enrollment in the course ranged from patent agents and biosciences consultants to chemistry professors and venture capitalists.

The course was quite intense, consisting of seven three/four-hour sessions. It was presented during the summer session of the 2002 academic year at a time when biotechnology was experiencing its second bubble period.

Some might note that a few topics remain quite advanced even today (e.g. biochips, nanomedicine, telemedicine, bioenergetics).

Not included in this outline are more than 200 figures taken from various graduate level texts showing many of the concepts presented in this lecture series.  Although I have the precise figures used for the lecture series, I currently do not have access to these figures.   

As you examine the outline it is imperative to keep in mind that the material presented is the result of a multidisciplinary approach I have taken. Thus, to many individuals it might be nearly impossible to understand on a detailed level without having prior knowledge of the subject matter or without the type of explanation that was provided during the lecture series. The outline..