A written report comparing old and new molecular biology methods

Written Report – Molecular Biology Methods – Old verses New.

 

 

Introduction. 

The cornerstone of scientific communication is the research paper, where the authors outline their research results in a way so that any group should be able to replicate the work and scrutinise that way the experiments were undertaken and interpreted.   The choice of methods is critical to the outcomes.  Many research articles are limited by the methods they use. The purpose of this task is to strengthen your understanding of current molecular biology methods by comparing them to older approaches and their advantages in relation to previous molecular biology methods.

 

Task:

A written report comparing old and new molecular biology methods (1500 words maximun)

 

Paper .  Elevated Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Copy Number and Expression in a Squamous Carcinoma Cell Line

 

 

Epidermal Growth Factor is an important protein that regulate the growth of cells.  It works by binding to its receptor, EGFR.  In cancer this receptor is often over-expressed and thus causes the cell to grow faster.  The reasons for this over-expression can be many, from gene copy number increases to mutations in the gene promoter or the protein itself.  This paper from 1984 describes the first efforts to determine EGFR copy number.   Review the methods used in this paper and outline any issues or problems you think this method has.  Outline how you would go about measuring the copy number of EGFR today.  

 

Report Contents

In your report you will need to explain the research in the paper, and what the results were, explain the methods that were used to get the results and present alternative approaches on how you might undertake this research TODAY using modern research methods we have discussed in lectures or that you have read about. Finally explain why these new methods are better

 

Your report will consist of the following sections, using the headings listed

 

1. Introduction: A brief introduction to the topic of the paper, including what the research was about, and what the problem was (why they were doing this research). – suggested length ½ page
2. Summary: A summary of the results of the research in the paper (what the main findings of the results were) – suggested length ½  page
3. Discussion: A discussion of the molecular biology methods used in the paper, including the strengths and weaknesses of the methods. – suggested length ½ page
4. Proposal: Read the task instructions above for the paper to look at the question being asked. Your proposal should outline the approach you would use today to address this question using modern molecular biology methods.  You should an explanation of why you would choose these particular methods (strengths, weaknesses), including the major advantages of these new approaches. – suggested length 1 page

Format.
Microsoft Word doc or docx file
Max 1500 words
Text body should be 12 point Times New Roman
2cm margins
Referencing- add references in the numbered style.

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