NWI-BM071
Molecular Therapy
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleNWI-BM071
Credits (ECTS)3
CategoryMA (Master)
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Science; BioWetenschappen;
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator
dr. ir. M.J.W. Adjobo-Hermans
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
dr. ir. M.J.W. Adjobo-Hermans
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
dr. ir. M.J.W. Adjobo-Hermans
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2017
Period
KW1  (04/09/2017 to 12/11/2017)
Starting block
KW1
Course mode
full-time
Remarks-
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims
After completion of this course, the student will have obtained fundamental knowledge about molecular mechanisms of novel therapeutics targeting DNA/RNA and proteins. Moreover, the student will be able to appraise the steps involved in the development and delivery of (personalized) therapeutics.

More specifically, the student will be able to:
  • appreciate the importance of drug design in optimizing efficacy, potency and safety of therapeutics.
  • relate different mechanisms of drug targeting and delivery to the needs of a particular disease.
  • describe current genetic therapy approaches to inherited diseases.
  • apply the knowledge of molecular pathways of signal transduction to the understanding of the working mechanism of novel medicines in the fields of cancer and pain.
  • justify the steps involved in drug development: from target discovery, lead optimization and preclinical studies to clinical trials.
  • Implement the obtained knowledge to write a proposal on a novel treatment option for a particular disease.
Content
This course will introduce students into novel therapeutics applied to treat diseases that pose a heavy burden on society, i.e. (lung) cancer and (chronic) pain and inherited retinal diseases. Since the development of new therapeutics is increasingly based on profound fundamental knowledge, the molecular mechanisms of these medicines will be thoroughly discussed. Moreover, current techniques in drug design, targeting and delivery will be discussed as well as the problems caused by adverse effects and the occurrence of resistance against certain types of medicine.
Students will be introduced into the subjects by means of lectures. Optional tutorials will be organized in order to enable the students to refresh their basic knowledge on key signal transduction pathways. Team-based learning sessions will allow students to apply the knowledge they acquired. In order to write a proposal on the design of a potential treatment option for an inherited retinal disease, students will be stimulated to mine current literature. This course will be given in close collaboration with preclinical investigators and clinical professionals that have experience with the therapeutics discussed.

Subjects
  • Drug development pipeline
  • Types of (pharmacological) interventions
  • Drug design
  • Drug targeting and delivery
  • Personalized medicine
  • Adverse effects and resistance
  • DNA/RNA-based therapy
  • Protein-targeted therapy: small molecules and biologics
  • Signaling (through GPCRs and RTKs) in health and disease
  • Targeting inherited retinal diseases
  • Targeting (chronic) pain
  • Targeting (lung) cancer
Test information
Grade for proposal (2/10) and written examination (8/10)

Prerequisites
Recommended courses:
Biochemie - moleculaire biologie II (NWI-BB017C) and Celbiologie der dieren (NWI-BB023B).

Contact information
merel.adjobo-hermans@radboudumc.nl

Required materials
Literature
Chapters 15 and 16 from the textbook Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish et al., 6th edition) will be used as starting material for this course.
Blackboard
Assignments and handouts will be distributed through Blackboard.

Instructional modes
Course
Attendance MandatoryYes

Lecture
Attendance MandatoryYes

Tutorial
Attendance MandatoryYes

Tests
Tentamen
Test weight1
OpportunitiesBlock KW1, Block KW2