ENHANCING UNDERSTANDING OF RECOMBINANT-DNA TECHNOLOGY

Study of recombinant DNA technology in schools has in the past been confined to the theoretical explanations of cutting and splicing DNA and of using plasmids. A DNA Technology Kit has now been developed in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Leicester. It has been successfully tested, and is available for hiring out to local schools and colleges for teachers and sixth-form students to gain first-hand practical experience of restriction enzyme digestion, agarose gel electrophoresis, and analysis and interpretation of laboratory data using a specially-prepared recombinant plasmid. This paper presents the theoretical background to the principles underlying recombinant DNA technology, followed by the practical procedures using the kit, and the problem-solving activities which can be developed at a level.