Stem Cells and Biotechnology explores the industrial processes of insulin biomanufacturing and lab grown meat. Students discover how cultured cells are engineered to make medicines and food, working hands-on in a biotech research lab alongside industry scientists.

The five-day program is structured into two complementary sessions:

Session 1 focuses on the technical process of engineering bacteria to produce human insulin and provides hands-on training in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and microbiology. Participants learn how the human insulin gene is cloned then expressed to produce purified GMP compliant human insulin.

Session 2 focuses on the technical process of growing meat in the lab from cultured animal cells and provides essential training in mammalian cell culture, microscopy, and cell-based assays. Participants learn how muscle stem cells are isolated, cultured and differentiated to produce muscle protein fibers, replicating key steps in the biomanufacturing of lab grown meat.

The program introduces key concepts in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the regulatory bodies that oversee U.S. biomanufacturing. It also features a fun bioart project – painting with fluorescent bacteria.

Students gain a broad array of knowledge and skills in preparation for high school education and science fair research.

No other middle school programs provide such comprehensive education in modern biotechnology to children at such a young age.

– Inspiring multidisciplinary curriculum
– Fun practical activities
– Engaging teaching modalities
– Essential real-world lab skills
– Foundational biology principles
– Hands-on lab classes
– Inquiry led experiments
– Professional science mentors
– Exposure to real science
– Career education
– Social interaction
– Team work and collaboration

-Laboratory safety
-Pipetting
-PCR
-Cloning
-DNA purification
-Agarose gel electrophoresis
-Transformation
-Aseptic technique
-Mammalian cell culture
-Microscopy
-Bioassays (Immunocytochemistry)