Descriptions of the Basic Molecular Biology eLearning Courses

BASIC MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY MODULE 1:
BASIC SCIENCE

AN ONLINE LEARNING COURSE
AVAILABLE ON WWW.CDC.TRAIN.ORG

Sponsored by the
Division of Laboratory Systems,
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DESCRIPTION
Molecular techniques have been widely used in clinical
diagnosis, e.g., diagnosing disease, predicting disease
course, and identifying infectious agents. This basic
Molecular Biology course series will introduce the
scientific background for molecular diagnosis, the
principles of laboratory settings, and common methods.
This basic-level eLearning course, Module 1, provides
information on the fundamental characteristics of DNA
and RNA, nucleotide base-pairing rules, and the basic
techniques and workflow applied in molecular diagnostics.

OBJECTIVES

AUDIENCE
This online course is designed for public health and clinical
laboratory staff, and persons interested in the basic
science of molecular biology.

At the conclusion of this course, the participant will be
able to:

SPECIAL NEEDS

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Course content is closed captioned, where applicable, and
optimized for a screen reader.

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FREE REGISTRATION
·
·
·

Locate the course online at www.cdc.gov/labtraining
Follow the link to register for the course in TRAIN
If you have difficulty with the online registration
process, please email [email protected]

Identify techniques in molecular diagnostics
Identify the workflow of molecular diagnostics
Predict the DNA sequences based on base-pairing
rules
Differentiate the characteristics of DNA and RNA
Identify the process of DNA replication and RNA
transcription

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a
provider of continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program. This course is approved for 1.0 contact hours.
P.A.C.E.® course number: 288-001-19

For a complete list of courses, visit www.cdc.gov/labtraining.

BASIC MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY MODULE 2:
LABORATORY PRACTICE

AN ONLINE LEARNING COURSE
AVAILABLE ON WWW.CDC.TRAIN.ORG

Sponsored by the
Division of Laboratory Systems,
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DESCRIPTION
Molecular techniques have been widely used in clinical
diagnosis, e.g., diagnosing disease, predicting disease
course, and identifying infectious agents. This basic
Molecular Biology course series will introduce the
scientific background for molecular diagnosis, the
principles of laboratory settings, and common methods.
This basic-level eLearning course, Module 2, provides
information on general laboratory practices. Topics
covered include biosafety practices, laboratory area flow,
and practices to minimize contamination.

OBJECTIVES

AUDIENCE
This online course is designed for public health and clinical
laboratory staff, and persons interested in molecular
biology laboratory practice.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Course content is closed captioned, where applicable, and
optimized for a screen reader.

FREE REGISTRATION
·
·
·

Locate the course online at www.cdc.gov/labtraining
Follow the link to register for the course in TRAIN
If you have difficulty with the online registration
process, please email [email protected]

At the conclusion of this course, the participant will be
able to:
·

·

·
·

Identify the general practices and biohazards
associated with performing molecular biology
procedures in BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories
Explain the differences of the working areas
needed to perform procedures in molecular
biology
Outline the unidirectional workflow used to
minimize contamination in the laboratory
Identify general decontamination practices in the
molecular biology laboratory

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a
provider of continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program. This course is approved for 1.0 contact hours.
P.A.C.E.® course number: 288-002-19

For a complete list of courses, visit www.cdc.gov/labtraining.

BASIC MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY MODULE 3:
NUCLEIC ACID
EXTRACTION

AN ONLINE LEARNING COURSE
AVAILABLE ON WWW.CDC.TRAIN.ORG

Sponsored by the
Division of Laboratory Systems,
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DESCRIPTION
Molecular techniques have been widely used in clinical
diagnosis, e.g., diagnosing disease, predicting disease
course, and identifying infectious agents. This basic
Molecular Biology course series will introduce the
scientific background for molecular diagnosis, the
principles of laboratory settings, and common methods.
This basic-level eLearning course, Module 3, provides
information on nucleic acid extraction. Topics covered
include extraction method selection, basic extraction
steps, and nucleic acid analysis.

OBJECTIVES

AUDIENCE
This online course is designed for public health and clinical
laboratory staff, and persons interested in nucleic acid
extraction.

At the conclusion of this course, the participant will be
able to:
·

SPECIAL NEEDS

·

Course content is closed captioned, where applicable, and
optimized for a screen reader.

·

FREE REGISTRATION
·
·
·

Locate the course online at www.cdc.gov/labtraining
Follow the link to register for the course in TRAIN
If you have difficulty with the online registration
process, please email [email protected]

·

Identify the four major factors used in selection of
the nucleic acid extraction method
Outline the three basic steps in nucleic acid
extraction
Explain how to analyze nucleic acid quantity and
purity by spectrophotometry and gel
electrophoresis
Identify common problems in nucleic acid
extraction

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a
provider of continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program. This course is approved for 1.5 contact hours.
P.A.C.E.® course number: 288-003-19

For a complete list of courses, visit www.cdc.gov/labtraining.

BASIC MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY MODULE 4:
PCR AND REAL-TIME PCR

AN ONLINE LEARNING COURSE
AVAILABLE ON WWW.CDC.TRAIN.ORG

Sponsored by the
Division of Laboratory Systems,
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DESCRIPTION
Molecular techniques have been widely used in clinical
diagnosis, e.g., diagnosing disease, predicting disease
course, and identifying infectious agents. This basic
Molecular Biology course series will introduce the
scientific background for molecular diagnosis, the
principles of laboratory settings, and common methods.
This basic-level eLearning course, Module 4, provides
information on the principle of PCR and real-time PCR.
Topics covered include PCR steps, PCR product analysis,
real-time PCR characteristics, real-time PCR quantification,
and roles of PCR controls.

AUDIENCE
This online course is designed for public health and clinical
laboratory staff, and persons interested in PCR and realtime PCR techniques.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Course content is closed captioned, where applicable, and
optimized for a screen reader.

FREE REGISTRATION
·
·
·

Locate the course online at www.cdc.gov/labtraining
Follow the link to register for the course in TRAIN
If you have difficulty with the online registration
process, please email [email protected]

OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course, the participant will be
able to:
·
·
·
·
·
·

Explain the basic steps involved in PCR
Identify the components of PCR, reverse
transcription PCR, and PCR product analysis
Recognize the characteristics of real-time PCR
Identify the techniques used to detect products in
real-time PCR
Differentiate the nucleic acid quantification
processes used in real-time PCR
Explain the roles of PCR controls

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a
provider of continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program. This course is approved for 1.0 contact hours.
P.A.C.E.® course number: 288-004-19

For a complete list of courses, visit www.cdc.gov/labtraining.