This course gives you an overview of the drug discovery and development processes where disease-targeted research leads to clinical treatments. Recent advances within medical biotechnologies and the latest treatment approaches are introduced, including stem cell technology, immunotherapies, and modern vaccines where the current ‘fast track’ development of new SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, the virus causing COVID-19, will be considered. You visit European pharmaceutical and biotechnology communities, university/hospital labs and start-up companies and get an insight into the business aspects of drug development and the many job niches of the field.
During Core Course Week our visits ranged from a stem cell research company to a bioinformatics company to a company that does research into lessening the burden of disease in domesticated animals. Seeing the full range of biotech companies that exist out there, and being able to compare observations about Danish biotech companies to Scottish companies was very enlightening!