Course Description
Biologics or biopharmaceuticals represent an exciting and rapidly growing therapeutic class in the drug industry. These medications are derived from living organisms and can be used to treat cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, autoimmune diseases, dermatological conditions, eye conditions, cancer, metabolic disorders, infections, transplant rejection, hematologic conditions, antidotes, respiratory conditions, etc. In fact, 14 of the top 20 drugs by sales in 2024 were biopharmaceuticals and the list keeps growing. This course will introduce biologics, their composition, agents for biopharmaceutical delivery and mechanism of action. Biologics include RNA- and DNA-based drugs, enzymes, peptides, hormones, antibody-based drugs, gene therapy, genome editing and cell therapy. The emphasis will be placed on the unique architectures of each class of biological and their mechanism of action. The overall goal of the course is to survey the rapidly growing field of biologics and provide students with the knowledge about how biologics influence human health and disease.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the structure and function of DNA, RNA, amino acids, proteins, lipids, and exosomes as foundational components of biopharmaceuticals.
- Discuss emerging technologies in biopharmaceuticals such as CRISPR, mRNA vaccines, and nanoparticle delivery systems.
- Understand the mechanism of action of unique classes of FDA-approved biologics and biosimilars.
- Describe the development, production, and delivery challenges of various biopharmaceuticals including peptides, hormones, enzymes, vaccines and cell-based therapies.
- Summarize gene structure, gene regulation, and delivery systems used in gene, recombinant DNA and RNA-based therapies.
Topics
- Introduction to biotherapeutics
- Lipids, exosomes, and RNA
- RNA applications and COVID-19 evolution
- DNA structure and function
- Recombinant DNA technology, therapeutics, and aptamers
- Gene structure and regulation
- Gene therapy platforms and gene delivery vectors
- Amino acid and protein structures and functions
- GLP-1 receptor agonist and hormone therapeutics
- Biotechnology and endocrine systems
- Protein biotherapeutics
- Antibody structures and applications
- Antibody drug conjugates, biosimilars and cytokines
- Stem cell and cell-based therapeutics
- CAR-T cell biotherapeutics, PCSK9 inhibitors, and protein degraders