This information is without prejudice. Alterations can be made for next year
Description
Part 1:
Therapeutic proteins have gained a paramount place in modern pharmaceuticals, accounting for more than 70% of the total revenue generated by the ten best-selling pharmaceuticals. The share of therapeutic proteins in the pharmaceuticals under development is also getting bigger while the probability of regulatory approval from entering clinical development is 32% for therapeutic proteins versus 13% for small-molecule drugs. In this category of pharmaceuticals, monoclonal antibodies account for almost half of the sales. The benefits of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies have been proven to be of great value in many life-threatening diseases including cancer and inflammatory and immune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Despite this remarkable position of therapeutic proteins in pharmacotherapy, there remain several challenges in formulation, storage, shipping and delivery of these drugs. These challenges have mainly to do with the molecular and structural characteristics of proteins. This course will address subjects in the area of formulation and delivery of protein pharmaceuticals. Particular emphasis will be put on a) design of delivery methods for getting proteins in body through various routes of administration, b) basic analytical methods employed in this area and c) subjects related to the stability of proteins. The course will be an interactive one requiring active participation of students in presentation of the subjects and discussion of the topics.
Part 2:
Vaccines are the most cost effective medical intervention. Vaccines are to a large extend responsible for almost complete elimination of infectious diseases like smallpox, polio, diphtheria and measles. Extensive research in other areas holds promise for therapeutic vaccines against cancer, Alzheimer and atherosclerosis. Vaccinology is a multidisciplinary area ranging from epidemiology and immunology to pharmaceutical sciences and process technology. In this course you will get an overview of the field. We will address, in the form of lectures, vaccine related immunology, delivery and characterization. Case studies on polio vaccines and systems vaccinology will be presented. Apart from lectures, you will be actively involved by working on assignments in small groups on how to develop a vaccine. The results will be presented by you with the aim to discuss the possibilities and problems related to vaccine development.
Coordinator
Dr. G. Kersten en Dr. W. Jiskoot
Admission requirements
Drug Delivery Technology (300 level course 3rd year of bachelor study BFW).
Mode of instruction
Combination of lectures, student presentations, and discussions.
Reading list
Will be handed out during the course.
Course objectives
To broaden the knowledge of drug administration via the skin and advanced visualization methods used
To gain basic insight into several aspects of the delivery of protein drugs.
Assessment method
Two written exams.
Timetable
December 2019. The specific schedule will be published on Blackboard.
Registration
Application via uSis. Registration closes 14 days before the start of the course.
Remarks
A minimum of 5 participants and a maximum of 25 participants applies to this course. Placement is based on the registration date.