MIT's European Node for
Synthetic Biology & Biomanufacturing
Synthetic Biology & Biomanufacturing
‘How to Grow (Almost) Anything,’ and 'How to Biomanufacture Almost Anything' are Harvard/MIT Media Lab’s synthetic biology and biomanufacturing courses, to teach experienced bio-enthusiasts and those new to the life sciences alike skills at the cutting edge of bioengineering and synthetic biology.
In partnership with MIT's Community Biotechnology Lab, Lifefabs aims to democratise Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing education as Europe's node for both courses.
Taking 60-80 students online per course cohort and 15 in-person, students take part running labs from our space, across DNA design, microfluidics, biofilms, bioreactor development, CRISPR labs, cloud labs, opentrons runs and gel electrophoresis runs.
Both MIT courses at Lifefabs Institute are run by Digby Usher and Inger Le Gue, each week features live lectures from experts in their respective domains and hands-on wet lab skills development hosted at Lifefabs Institute and remotely using MIT's cloud labs.
How to Grow Almost Anything (Synthetic Biology Course)
Runs from January to June annually, across 14-16 weeks, around 15-20 hours per week.
How to Biomanufacture Almost Anything (Biomanufacturing Course)
Runs from September to December, across 9-12 weeks, 10 hours per week.
The courses aim to equip everyone, regardless of their background, with access to cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and laboratory equipment for executing their ideas, while incorporating the latest in biosafety and bioethics.
Students undertaking the courses at Lifefabs Institute as a Committed Listenerwill receive a MIT/Harvard Certificate graded across the following metric:
Lecture, Recitation, and Lab Attendance & Participation above 70% requirement.
Weekly Assignments all completed
(Class Write-ups and Lab Documentation).
Final Project Written up and Documented
Course costs associated with certification and joining for our in-person labs are shared before each academic course commences.
A key element in the course is the application of lab robots for distance education, so anyone across Europe, the Middle East and Africa can tune into the Lifefabs Lab and run a protocol.
The robot can be directly programmed to transfer liquids and modulate temperatures, allowing students to carry out a wide range of lab protocols such as PCR, cloning, and transformation into bacterial cells, and develop their final projects remotely or in person.
Find out more about How to Grow Almost Anything here.
