构建“合成生物学”课程群培养面向生物制造的复合型创新人才

Developing a curriculum cluster in “Synthetic Biology” to cultivate inter-disciplinary and innovative talents for biomanufacturing

摘要:

合成生物学(Synthetic Biology)作为一门新兴学科，广受关注且发展迅速，深刻影响着整个生命科学及工程技术领域的发展。与此同时，随着新工科建设的发展，加快培养复合型创新人才是对我国高等教育提出的新任务和新使命。在合成生物学蓬勃发展的背景下，华东理工大学组建了以微生物药物发现和生物制造为核心内容的“合成生物学课程群”。授课团队首先对合成生物学相关的上下游课程体系进行了梳理，随后在原有课程基础上，扩充了合成生物学系列核心课程，课程群不仅涵盖了合成生物学的学科理论和前沿技术，同时锚定了上下游学科。此外，课程群还依托国家重点实验室的国内外名师讲座，并利用学科创新引智基地(“111计划”)雄厚的海外教授资源，致力于提高学生的创新能力。在课程群及授课团队的助力下，学生不仅积极参加合成生物学国际基因工程机器大赛(international genetic engineering machine competition, iGEM)并连续获奖，而且有多人申请专利并参与发表科研论文等。组建合成生物学课程群为培养具有创新能力的复合型人才提供一定的示范。

Abstract:

Synthetic Biology, as an emerging discipline, has gained widespread attention and is developing rapidly, profoundly impacting the fields of life sciences and biotechnology. Concurrently, as emerging engineering education programs take shape, accelerated cultivation of multifaceted innovative talents represents a new mission and imperative for higher education in China. In the context of the flourishing development of Synthetic Biology, East China University of Science and Technology has established a curriculum cluster in Synthetic Biology, focusing on microbiological drug discovery and biomanufacturing. The teaching team initially reviewed the curriculum system related to Synthetic Biology and its upstream and downstream courses. Subsequently, they expanded the core courses in Synthetic Biology, creating a curriculum cluster that encompasses not only the theoretical foundations and cutting-edge technologies but also integrates with related disciplines. Moreover, the curriculum cluster leverages lectures from renowned domestic and international professors in the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, and harnesses the rich resources of the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (the “111 plan”), aiming to enhance students’ innovation capabilities. With the support of this curriculum cluster and teaching team, undergraduate students actively participate in international Synthetic Biology competitions like international genetic engineering machine competition (iGEM), consistently achieving gold awards. Furthermore, many students have applied for patents and made contributions to research paper publications. This work stands as a valuable exemplar for cultivating multifaceted talents with exceptional innovative capabilities.