This module will teach students three key aspects of Immunology: Vaccinology, Immunotherapy and Diagnostic techniques based on Immunology. These three aspects...

Applications of Immunology: Immunotherapy, Vaccinology and Diagnostic Techniques (PHAY0073)

This module will teach students three key aspects of Immunology: Vaccinology, Immunotherapy and Diagnostic techniques based on Immunology. These three aspects require a detailed understanding of the immune system and the cells involved in it and therefore lectures will firstly provide students with this background knowledge. The next section of the module will cover the different strategies that are currently used in the discovery process of new vaccines and immunotherapies for various diseases. An important part of the module will cover the diagnostic techniques used in immunology.

This module aims to provide the students with knowledge of the different pathways involved in the immune response. To accomplish that, currently commercialised vaccines and those that are currently being developed will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of adjuvants and delivery systems used for the development of a successful vaccine. Older cancer treatments such as antibody therapies will be compared to more recent techniques based on cell therapies. The module will also discuss the different diagnostic techniques used in the medical immunology field.

CNS TISSUE ENGINEERING|GENE THERAPY|DRUG MOLECULES|NEUROSCIENCE

Diseases of the CNS are notoriously difficult to treat and have been a minefield of disasters in the pharma industry for a number of years. However, this is...

Targeting CNS Disorders: Translational Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (PHAY0015)

Diseases of the CNS are notoriously difficult to treat and have been a minefield of disasters in the pharma industry for a number of years. However, this is still an immensely important area made more so by an ageing population. There is new hope and new initiatives as advances in neuroscience are made.

 This module addresses the molecular basis of selected neurological conditions, the animal and cellular models that are used to investigate these conditions, novel therapies such as CNS tissue engineering and gene therapy and the drug targets that have been/are being used in the development of lead compounds and drug molecules.

 Neurotransmitter receptor proteins are a major target for drug action within the central nervous system (CNS). CNS drug discovery programmes have been revolutionized during the last ten years with the realization that rather than a single neurotransmitter receptor existing per neurotransmitter, multiple highly homologous neurotransmitter receptor subtypes exist for each inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitter. Therefore, the challenge is to develop receptor subtype-selective therapeutic compounds with the hope that this new generation of drugs will have unique and selective therapeutic properties while reducing unwanted adverse effects