To provide the student with knowledge of cell expression systems and the production of peptide-based therapeutics.
Basic principles of animal cell culture
Biosafety Primary and established cell lines / Establishment and maintenance of a cell bank; freezing and recovery of cell linesViability stains; cytotoxicity stains; cell cloning techniques. Components of cell growth media / Media preparation; microbiological QC of culture media. Serum - roles, sources, evaluation; serum-free media - components, evaluation.
Cell Line Characterisation
Assessment of contamination sources, effects, microbial (bacteria and fungi), mycoplasma screening. Inter- and intra-species contamination; species verification - isoenzymes, DNA fingerprinting. Biochemical characterisation - identification and characterization of immunological products, human chromosome sorting and analysis, in situ hybridisation, marker enzymes. Validation of cell lines - FDA perspective.
Scale-up of Cell Cultures
Equipment and practical considerations / Media and nutrients.Types of culture process - monolayer cultures, suspension cultures, microcarrier systems, cell bioreactors.Current trends and the impact of new technologies.
Cell Technology
Bioprocessing cell/system options: plant, mammalian and insect cell culture; Media options for plant and insect cell culture. Transgenic animals and plants. CRISPR.
Protein stability
Protein folding (chaperones), post-translational modifications, structure function relationships, therapeutic protein stability, protein degradation.
Protein formulation
Challenges in protein delivery; protein drug formulation; biodegradable micro-particles and nano-particles; particle size analysis; trans-dermal delivery; iontophoresis; liposomes and exosomes, recent developments in protein delivery - encapsulated cell technology.
Industrial enzymes
Enzymes as bioprocess tools. Simple -v- coupled reaction systems; Biotransformations; immobilised enzymes; enzyme stabilisation; novel enzymes; challenges for the future
Peptide diversity and proteomics
Applications of peptides - immunology (diagnostics and therapeutics) vaccines, rational drug design; Proteomics and its applications - Biomarkers and therapeutic targets. ELISA
Case Studies & current trends
Biopharmaceutical production from genetic engineering to upstream and downstream processing. Types of biopharmaceuticals - growth factors, recombinant antibodies, vaccines biosimilars.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 30 |
| Formal Examination | 70 |