This section of the bioengineering course will introduce you to the concepts of molecular biology critical to engineering biotechnology. That is, we will examine the properties of hte nucleic acids that constitute genes which code for proteins that are the end product of gene action and the main focus of gentic engineering. We will investigate our model, the hormone insulin, its structure and the general role it plays in regulating the blood level of glucose. Individuals who suffer from diabetes either are unable to produce insulin, or have some defect in responding to the hormone signals.