Postgraduate Biotechnology 2026-2027

The course will focus on small molecule drug discovery. Receptor theory and cell communication and signalling will be revised to facilitate understanding of the remainder of the course. The basis of the drug discovery process will be described and the phases of drug development discussed. A range of targets for drug discovery will be identified and how small molecule drug affect these will be described. Issues around drug regulation will be raised.

Modern biotechnology is absolutely dependent upon our increasingly sophisticated ability to use microbial and mammalian host cells as factories to produce high quantities of protein pharmaceuticals, e.g. insulin. Increasingly, cells engineered with multiple foreign genes are also being used to drive small molecule drug production. This course will explore how such heterologous protein expression processes can be engineered and optimised to drive efficient synthesis of the next generation medicines on which healthcare systems are increasingly depending. 

In order for biomedical advances to reach the patient, it is essential that the “translational scientist” is both able to recognise opportunities and is familiar with the required pathways and processes that stand between a discovery and the end user. This course will train students in the development of new biomedical ideas, products, discoveries and opportunities. This course is ideal for those who wish to enter the dynamic world of medtech and biotech, or for those interested in working for the various regulatory bodies and organisations that govern and facilitate this process.

This advanced course builds on the basics provided in Introduction to Bio-business and the Commercialisation of Bioscience Research (BT5012).  It provides more detail on financing and setting up a Bio-business.

The course deals in depth with finance, corporate governance and business models. The major assessment involves the students working together in teams to set up a virtual bio-business and to pitch this business to a group of experts in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. The team will adopt the roles of senior management team and present to the experts their part of the business.

Biologic therapies represent one of the most important and novel areas of drug discovery in the 21^st century. The aim of this course is to provide an insight into the success of protein, peptide or antibody based biologic therapies and to examine how this exciting new area will develop over the next decade.

This course will take the student through in-depth study of how synthetic biology, systems biology and computation are transforming the principles and practice of modern biotechnology. The course will teach modern methods of biotechnology including host cell design and optimisation using modern modelling techniques, leading to an understanding of how multiple genes under precise regulatory control can be introduced into a species to endow it with new biotechnologically valuable properties. The course will demonstrate the application of computer programming to bioinformatic analysis with direct relevance to modern biotechnology.

Through hands on study of synthetic biological processes in a series of workshops, students will learn how advanced genetic engineering of host expression systems can transform production of pharmaceuticals, chemical feedstocks and biofuels. Through workshop study of computer programming, students will gain hands-on knowledge of introductory programming skills relevant to genomic analysis and modern biotechnology. The course will equip students with a range of knowledge and skills directly relevant to modern biosciences, including the biotechnology industry.