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Key facts
| Types | Oxford Qualification - Part-time Professional Development Short Courses |
|---|---|
| Location | Oxford |
| Dates | Mon 11 to Fri 15 Nov 2013 |
| Subject area(s) | Health |
| CATS points | 20 |
| Fees | Fee TBC |
| Application status | Applications being accepted |
| Course code | O13C248B9Y |
| Course contact | If you have any questions about this course, please email expther@conted.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44(0)1865 286955. |
Overview
The Biological Therapeutics course is a one-week module of the MSc in Experimental Therapeutics. Offered by the Department of Oncology and the Department for Continuing Education’s CPD Centre, the course will be led by Professor Len Seymour, Professor of Gene Therapies, and Director of the Section of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology, and will feature face-to-face lectures and tutorials from some of Oxford's leading clinicians and scientists.
The module can be taken as a stand-alone short course. It includes group work, discussions, guest lectures, and interaction and feedback with tutors and lecturers.
Please send me an email about future Biological Therapeutics courses.
Description
The Biological Therapeutics short course will focus on emerging areas of medicine using nucleic acids as drugs and also using treatments based on stem cells and bioengineered tissues, including the combined technologies reflecting uses of genetically modified stem cells. Starting from well established fields such as bone marrow transplantation for treatment of immune deficiency and cancer, we will assess range of emerging therapeutic approaches building on the use of human adult, cord blood and embryonic stem cells and will discuss the possibilities of nuclear transfer and iPS cells. Current technologies for growing stem cells in culture and organ engineering will also be assessed. This part of the module will culminate in studies using genetically modified (autologous) bone marrow stem cells to treat immune deficiency patients without matched donors, using retroviruses and latterly lentiviruses to achieve long term expression of therapeutic transgenes within the bone marrow.
We will also assess alternative vectors for delivery of transgenes, ranging from integrating viruses (retrovirus), adeno-associated virus and herpes viruses (which are thought to persist as episomes) and viruses suitable only for short term, inflammatory expression (adenovirus, vaccinia). Applications of these agents in various genetic diseases will be assessed in detail, including focus on the recent study at UCL/Moorfields hospital in treatment of congenital blindness. We will focus on the use of viruses for treatment of cancer, including systems aimed at expressing of prodrug-activating enzymes, but with particular attention in the field of oncolytic viruses, designed to replicate within and kill cancer cells selectively. We will consider their potency, their molecular design (including both natural and engineered strategies to regulate their activity within cancer cells), their selectivity and factors that currently limit their success.
The course will cover the following topics:
- Basic immunology
- Antibody based therapeutics
- Cell based immunotherapy
- Cancer vaccine
- Draft approaches to cancer gene therapy
- Viral vectors for gene therapy
- Non-viral vectors for gene therapy
- Clinical trial design for vaccines and gene therapy
Programme details
The course can be taken:
- as a 5 day short course (for credit or not for credit)
- as part of the MSc in Experimental Therapeutics
Venue
This course will be held at the Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, Oxford.
Staff
Professor Leonard Seymour
Role: Tutor
Course aims
The course has been designed to:
- introduce students to the basic immunology, antibody-based therapeutics and cell-based immunotherapy
- enable students to understand cancer vaccines
- enable students to understand various approaches to cancer gene therapy
- introduce students to viral and non-viral vectors for gene therapy
- enable students to undertake clinical trial design for vaccines and gene therapy.
Assessment methods
Assessment will be based on submission of a set written assignment, not exceeding 4,000 words.
Academic credit
Those wishing to may apply to take the course with accreditation. The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points for the course. Participants attending at least 75% of the taught course and successfully completing assessed assignments are eligible to earn credit equivalent to 20 CATS-equivalent points which may be counted towards a postgraduate qualification.
Those who do not wish to undertake the assessed work required for academic credit will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the course.
Level and demands
This course is aimed at qualified doctors, especially specialist registrars in clinical pharmacology or in training for other medical sub-specialities; clinical research fellows in other specialities; pharmacists; nurses; graduates working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Teaching methods
The course will be taught by a range of scientists leading these areas of research, and there will be significant time programmed to discuss the scientific and sometimes ethical issues raised by this area of medical research. It will include group work, discussions, guest lectures, and interaction and feedback with tutors and lecturers.
A virtual learning environment (VLE) and access to some of the University of Oxford’s online resources will provide support for those taking the course for credit.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available at the Rewley House Residential Centre, within the Department for Continuing Education, in central Oxford. The comfortable, en-suite, study-bedrooms are rated 3-star, and come with free high-speed internet access and TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.
Payment
The course fee includes tuition, course materials, refreshments and a three course lunch on each day of the course.
Please see the MSc in Experimental Therapeutics page for more information regarding module fees when taking this course as a part of the MSc Programme.
Scholarships
Details of funding opportunities, including grants, bursaries, loans, scholarships and benefit information are available on our financial assistance page.
Apply for this course
Admissions criteria
To apply for our short courses you should:
- be a graduate or have successfully completed a professional training course
- have experience in a health-related field
- demonstrate a suitable level of English (if this is not your first language).
How to apply
If you would like to apply for the MSc in Experimental Therapeutics please visit the application page.
To apply for this module as a short course please use the documents below.
Places on the course are limited, so early application is strongly recommended. Completed applications must have been received fourteen days before the course starts.
- Your application can only be fully considered when an application form is supplied complete with payment or purchase order number
- Please note no payments are processed until a student has been accepted onto the course
- Your application will require a copy of your CV, and if you wish to take the course for credit, a reference.
Once we have received your completed application it will be considered by the admissions panel.
If your chosen course is full it is possible to submit a completed application form which, if successful, will be added to the waiting list. You will then be given the opportunity to attend should a place become available.
Contact
If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying please contact:
Sarah Kelly (Administrative Assistant)
Tel: +44 (0)1865 286955 - Email: expther@conted.ox.ac.uk
You can apply for this course in the following ways:
- Apply by post, email or fax
- Application Form
.
Short Course Terms & Conditions (important: please read before applying) .
Programmes including this module
This module can be studied as part of these programmes: