Postgraduate Course: Vaccine Development and Clinical Testing (PGBI11063)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course approaches vaccine development both from the historical and molecular perspective. Examples range from bacterial to eukaryotic parasite and viral vaccine development. Topics to be covered: Bacterial, eukaryotic and viral vaccine development.
An expanded Biotechnology 4 module (BITE10012) on vaccine development will be augmented further into a 10 credit module available as an MSc course option. It will cover the existing vaccination production and deployment operations as well as the efforts to develop new vaccines against such human diseases as malaria, HIV and dengue fever and animal diseases such as brucellosis and trypanosomiasis. The regulatory framework governing pre-clinical and clinical testing of vaccines will also be taught.
The teaching objectives are:
- Through use of lectures, to provide a framework for rationalising how vaccines might be developed
- Through paper analysis and tutorials, to develop skills in critical observation and analysis and to encourage investigative and interpretative approaches in biology
- Through oral presentation, to promote skills in succinct oral communication of science
- Through essays and other written assignments, to promote scientific writing skills and to encourage the use of library, archival, electronic and other reference sources.
The course objectives are:
- To provide a comprehensive knowledge base framework of the key features and functions of the main groups of microorganisms that are relevant to host interaction, immunity and vaccine development
- To reflect on global need for vaccine development, historical experiences, and the impact of finance and politics on the course of vaccine development.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: No |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Class Delivery Information |
This course will be taught using:
- Lectures
- Tutorial group discussion
- Group presentations
- Written essay |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Assessment Methods
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Knowledge and understanding
- Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of molecular approaches of how they might approach development of a vaccine against a novel pathogen
- Demonstrate an understanding of key physiological issues which might impact on such development, including difficulties in trying to develop vaccines against highly variable infectious agents such as malaria and HIV
- Demonstrate an understanding of where research on infections currently without vaccines stands.
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the existing global vaccination effort, vaccine-based epidemic control and disease eradication initiatives.
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the global vaccine industry and the regulatory framework it operates in.
- Demonstrate an understanding of GCP and GLP governed vaccine clinical testing.
2. Cognitive skills
- Devise a logical strategy to identify and explore relevant historical and modern literature
- Demonstrate the ability to critical analysis to refine and focus their literature searches
- Demonstrate the ability to extract relevant information and to present this information in a structured and comprehensive manner to an audience of intelligent, non-specialist biologists
- Demonstrate the ability to discuss and defend the views and conclusions in their presentations
- Demonstrate the ability to lead a discussion group on a scientific topic, showing understanding, skills of good scientific judgement, and the ability to involve others in the discussion in a balanced way
- Demonstrate that they have the ability to research a topic for for different modes of communication (e.g. presentation and essay) and that that they can construct a concise, coherent and cogent argument, presented in a well written format, and supported by scientific evidence.
3. Subject specific skills
- Show in depth knowledge of the vaccine field
- Produce a logical and considered strategy for development of a vaccine against an existing or novel pathogen. |
Assessment Information
Course essay (100%), 3000 words max.
Presentations are a compulsory part of the learning objective required in order to pass the course. Failure to adequately complete this aspect can be rectified via a written essay (1000 words) on the presentation topic, with a pass/fail outcome for assessment of the presentation-directed essay.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | BIOTECH Vacc Devp |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Maurice Gallagher
Tel: (0131 6)50 5409
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Sarah Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8643
Email: |
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