Marine Bioluminescence and Biosensors Course

This short course takes you from the light-producing organisms of the ocean to the laboratory tools derived from them. You will learn about the diversity of luminous organisms, luminous bacteria and symbiosis, dinoflagellates and glowing seas, deep-sea bioluminescence and the ecological functions of light, then study luciferins and luciferases, photoproteins such as aequorin, green fluorescent protein and its variants, and engineered luciferases. You will go on to the elements of a biosensor, biological recognition, optical transduction and cell-based biosensors, and to their use as reporter genes, in cell and animal imaging, drug screening assays and the detection of toxicity, metals and pollutants in water.

What sets this course apart: a fascinating science that runs from luminous organisms to laboratory tools; real applications in biomedical imaging, diagnostics and environmental monitoring; the principles of biosensor construction and validation; a solid molecular basis in the chemistry of light and fluorescent proteins; and a practical case in which you propose a biosensor for a specific problem.