Of potential interest to microBEnet readers:
includes the following:
Molecular Biology-Based Bioaerosol Analyses
Jordan Peccia, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Abstract: This tutorial covers molecular biology concepts and tools that are relevant for the analysis of airborne biological material. The course begins with a targeted introduction to genetics, phylogenetics, and bioinformatics for aerosol scientists that have a limited background in biology. Next, molecular biology-based methods that are useful for the quantification, identification, and population characterization of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in aerosols will be presented along with examples. These methods include polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative PCR, immunoassays and proteomics, and next generation DNA sequencing to produce phylogenetic libraries. The course will conclude with an overview of sampling strategies that can be integrated with molecular biology-based analysis, and information on the quantitativeness of the above methods.
Jordan Peccia is an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering and the environmental engineering director of undergraduate studies at Yale University. His research group integrates molecular biotechnology with process engineering to address environmental problems. Dr. Peccia has over 15 years of experience in applying molecular biology to assess the sources, the diversity of, and the exposure to airborne bacteria, fungi and viruses in the atmosphere and in indoor environments. He earned his PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Colorado in 2001.