Summer 03

Learning the Technology of Biology

How do you best prepare for the future of life sciences?
You create a visionary program that trains professionals for the burgeoning world of biotechnology.

As life sciences research and its industry matures in Indiana, the need will grow for a skilled workforce of laboratory professionals who have trained alongside top researchers and have had access to the most modern laboratory technology.

That demand is being met by the IU School of Medicine Biotechnology Training Program. The program is the educational cornerstone for the key core laboratories within the Biotechnology Research and Training Center. With the proteomics and genomics facilities housed in the BRTC and on the nearby IUSM campus, the training program creates and will sustain the talent needed to move Indiana to the forefront of life sciences.

The program is designed for the continuing education of research technicians in academic and industrial laboratories. These are students who have obtained their undergraduate or graduate degrees and seek to expand their lab skills and knowledge.

“Our program is not a response, but rather the realistic anticipation of meeting the needs of the rapidly changing frontier of biotechnology,” says William F. Bosron, PhD, program director and assistant dean of graduate studies. “The BRTC has outstanding facilities dedicated to a hands-on laboratory and lecture presentations.”

Currently, five students are enrolled in the program. Dr. Bosron says he hopes to expand the program to twenty-five students within the next few years.

The training program, which enrolled its first students in the fall of 2002, draws from many scientific disciplines including genetics, molecular biology, proteomics and biochemistry. Participants spend a minimum of one-and-a-half years (three full semesters and one summer session) meeting the requirements for the certificate. Classes are held in the late afternoon and early evening to accommodate students’ work schedules.
Students have full access to technology such as cellular imaging, DNA sequencing, proteomics, gene expression, protein expression and bioinformatics.

“One of the main reasons I was drawn to the program is because it has all the resources I need in one place,” says Heather Coppage, a research technician in the IU Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology. And it doesn’t hurt that her classes are located in the same building in which she works.

The skills students acquire are directly transferable to their current professions and prepare them for future challenges in biotechnology research and development. For example, new drugs might one day be developed to decrease organ transplant rejections, or researchers could discover how to reduce allergens in food. The possibilities are endless.

“At the BRTC, students benefit greatly from a large teaching laboratory, enabling them to obtain intensive hands-on experience rather than just watch demonstrations as part of a group,” says Dr. Bosron, who also is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Students work through their experiments from beginning to end withouthaving to shift labs or borrow equipment.

Multimedia Classroom

The training program’s media resources also are a boon to participants. They are able to switch from computer presentations to a whiteboard or a camera system, choosing the best medium for presenting information, posing and answering questions, and working through complex flow charts and diagrams. Students also have Internet access in the classroom and are able to interact with speakers at other locations. In the future, video conferencing will allow the program’s instructors to train students elsewhere in Indiana.

While the program mainly targets research technicians, it also has attracted others in the medical sciences community. It certainly caught the attention of Frank Lloyd Jr., MD, an Indianapolis cancer surgeon.
“I’m kind of a hands-on guy and interested in cancer research,” Dr. Lloyd recently told The Indianapolis Star. “This course exposes you to all the techniques currently used to document the difference between normal and abnormal cells.”

There are some things labs and lectures cannot teach biotechnologists. To promote understanding of the myriad ethical and social implications of biotechnology, the IU Center for Bioethics has a role in the curriculum.
“Scientists, whether they are lead researchers or biotechnicians, need to know about bioethical concerns and issues and how bioethics relates to their professions. This is a vital component of the Biotechnology Training Program,” Dr. Bosron says.

For more information about the Biotechnology Training Program, go to www.medicine.iu.edu/~gradschl/biotechTraining/index.html.