Overview

This online course provides an intensive overview of antibody therapeutics.

You'll learn about emerging technologies, from design through to clinical use.

It's suitable for those working in industry and academic sectors.

Course content and structure

This is a self-paced online course. You'll be able to access lectures and materials when it suits you, over a nine-month period.

The course will cover the following topics:

• Overview of antibody therapeutics field - from discovery to clinical use, including a synopsis of the discovery and development of antibodies (biologics) as therapeutics and regulatory considerations
• Structure and function of antibodies
• Applications of antibodies as therapeutic entities
• Antibody diversity and its relevance in the development and production processes
• Fragments - the structural features of antibody fragments and their recent development as therapeutics
• Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) - the structural features of ADCs and their recent design and development as novel therapeutics for the oncology market. Also covers the optimisation of the parameters required for the development of clinically useful ADCs
• Bioprocessing - principles of equipment selection and the latest methods for bioprocess manufacture of antibodies in the development process
• Intellectual property - the mechanism and process of intellectual property protection (including antibodies) and real-life examples of the process by which protection can be challenged and lost or won

Who the course is for

This course is for:

• chemists, (cell) biologists, biochemists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, medics, etc. working in industry and academic sectors
• investors (business and pharma)
• patent attorneys

Learning outcomes

This course will help you to:

• understand the antibody field and the historical aspects, current research and future direction of the development of antibodies as therapeutics
• understand the antibody field, from structure and function, through to the recent development of antibodies as therapeutics, including manufacture and clinical development
• gain insights into some of the issues that are required to develop antibodies from the bench to the clinic/market and raises issues with regard to manufacture, intellectual property and regulatory aspects
• effectively engage in cross-disciplinary collaborations with other professionals on how to formulate a strategy to design, develop and apply industry regulations and best practice to ensure quality and success

Modular Training for the Bioprocess Industries (MBI)

The award-winning MBI programme is a series of UCL-accredited short courses for people working in the bioprocessing industry. It's designed and delivered in collaboration with over 70 industrial experts.

The programme provides flexible professional development training. You can choose to take standalone courses or combine them for a Certificate, Diploma or Master's qualification. It complements in-house training by providing broader perspectives for more informed decision-making.

Courses have so far been delivered to over 900 individuals from more than 300 companies, 30% of which are non-UK, demonstrating its strong international impact.

MBI plays a central role in the department's knowledge-transfer activities. This ensures that cutting-edge research is undertaken to capture the value of integrating engineering with complex and fast-moving biology, which helps keep the global industry ahead in manufacturing.

Benefits of MBI

By attending an MBI course, you'll:

• benefit from knowledge transfer and upskilling in core bioprocessing fundamentals and trends in industry
• gain a deeper understanding of process options and engineering constraints
• acquire the tools to optimise process performance and economics
• learn about the latest technical and regulatory developments
• have access to cutting edge research methodologies
• network with sector leaders and subject matter experts
• increase your flexibility, motivation, creativity and professional status

Further information

There is more information about the MBI on the Department of Biochemical Engineering's website. If you have questions about fees or how to combine courses for a specific qualification, please email mbi-training@ucl.ac.uk

Course team

Dr Mohammed Jaffar - Module Leader

Mohammed is Drug Discovery Training Fellow in the Translational Research Office's Drug Discovery Group, based at UCL School of Pharmacy.

Course information last modified: 30 Nov 2022, 16:00