Biological engineering J

Academic unit or major

Undergraduate major in Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering

Instructor(s)

Takashi Nakamura / Kozue Nishida / Yoshihisa Matsumoto

Class Format

Lecture (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

7-8 Mon (S2-202) / 7-8 Thu (S2-202)

Class

J

Course Code

TSE.A206

Number of credits

200

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

3Q

Syllabus updated

Sep 30, 2026

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

It is said that interaction between human and microorganisms started around BC5000. At that time, the presence of microorganisms was not recognized, however, fermented foods were empirically produced. Microorganisms were discovered in the 17th century and the role of microorganisms in fermentation was clarified during the 19th century, and following this, various beneficial materials started to be produced. After that, the techniques for animal cell and plant cell cultivation were developed, and together with the rapid progress in the molecular biology, techniques where biological functions could be applied became widespread in the fields of materials production, agriculture, environment and medical care. Students will learn the basics of bioengineering- from cultivation of the organisms to the control and application of their function.

Course description and aims

Students will learn the basics of the bioengineering from cultivation of the organisms to the control and application of their function. Firstly, students will understand the characteristics of microbial growth and learn quantitative expression of the pure culture of microorganisms. The cultivation of animal and plant cells has many similar techniques to the cultivation of microorganisms, and this course will clarify the characteristics of cultivating each type of cell. Subsequently, students will understand the methods for the control of the biological function, including genetic manipulation techniques and practical examples of industrial applications of biological functions. Concerning environmental applications, students will acquire the ability to quantitatively express the role of the microbial community, where various microorganisms coexist with complicated interactions in their role in material recycling and conservation of ecosystems.

Keywords

Microorganisms, Enzymes, Kinetics, Metabolism, Bioreactors, Genetic enginerring, Ecological modeling

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

In the introduction to each class, a summary of the previous lecture is given. After that, the main points of the lecture on that day are discussed in detail. Students are asked to provide solutions to some of the questions that have been posed as necessary. Always check the required learning for each class and be sure to complete them as part of preparation and review.

In FY2025, Matsumoto is in charge of Classes 8-14 of both Japanese and English classes. To make it possible to separate Japanese and English classes, the classes will be organized as follows.
[English] Classes 1-7: Thursday (except for Oct 15 (Thu)) and Nov 2 (Mon) (BOONYUBOL)
Classes 8-14: Monday (and Oct 15 (Thu)), except for Nov 2 (Mon) (Matsumoto)
[Japanese] Classes 1-7: Monday (and Oct 15 (Thu), where Monday classes are provided)(Nishida)
Classes 8-14: Thursday (except for Oct 15 (Thu)) (Matsumoto)

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Text book specified by the instructor.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Handouts will be distributed at the beginning of class when necessary and elaborated on using PowerPoint slides. PowerPoint documents that are to be used in class will be made available in advance via the LMS. Students are expected to use these documents for preparation and review purposes.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Learning achievement is evaluated by combining results from exercise problems and reports.

Related courses

• GEG.E512 ： Utilization of Resources and Wastes for Environment
• TSE.A312 ： Introduction to global and local ecology
• GEG.E401 ： Global Environmental System and Ecosystem Dynamics

Prerequisites

None required.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

English course:
Yoshihisa Matsumoto (matsumoto.y.ac[at]m.titech.ac.jp)
Sasipa Boonyubol (boonyubol.s.aa[at]m.titech.ac.jp)
Japanese course:
Kozue Nishida (nishida.k.d2e7[at]m.isct.ac.jp)
Yoshihisa Matsumoto (matsumoto.y.ac[at]m.titech.ac.jp)

Other

1. Some classes may be provided online during business travels. In FY2026, the English class (by Matsumoto) on Oct 5 (Mon) are planned to be provided online (live).
2. Cancellation and supplementary classes are planned as follows, as of Sep 30).
[English] Cancellation: Nov 19 (Thu), Supplementary class: Nov 30 (Mon) (by Matsumoto)
[Japanese] Cancellation: Oct 8 (Thu), Supplementary class: Nov 26 (Thu) (by Matsumoto)