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I'm Dr. Jonathan Cox.
I'm a lecturer in microbiology at Aston University.
This is an introduction to applied molecular biology.
Molecular biology is the subject in which we
manipulate microorganisms in order to be able to get them to do useful things for us.
It's the way in which we can get microorganisms to perform
processes that are useful for us in science and technology.
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The aim of this talk is to introduce the topic of Applied Molecular Biology.
Following this lecture, you should be able to
understand the principles of gene cloning and understand
the principles of recombinant protein production and understand
some examples of commercial and therapeutic recombinant protein production.
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What is molecular microbiology?
It's a branch of microbiology that is devoted to the study of
the molecular basis of the physiological processes that occur in microorganisms.
By understanding these physiological processes,
it enables us to be able to manipulate microorganisms for our own means.
If we understand the molecular pathways,
the molecular process that microorganisms carry out in terms of protein synthesis,
in terms of DNA replication,
in terms of building the physical structures that
they need in order to be able to survive and thrive,
we can effectively hijack that machinery and use
that to produce things that are useful for us in society.
That's what molecular microbiology means.