A Suggested Postgraduate Curriculum for Education and Training for the Biopharmaceutical Industry
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Drug Informarion Journal, Vol. 33, pp. 615626. 1999 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
A SUGGESTED POSTGRADUATE CURRICULUM FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE BIOPHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY* D. BRENDAN MURPHY,RID, AND GARYWALSH,PHD Industrial Biochemistry Programme, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
The curriculum outlined in this paper (and available in full detail on the World Wide Web at http:/hwwul.ie/-walshg/) is designed as a resource for third level institutions in an attempt to promote postgraduate education and training for the biopharmaceutical sector. A curriculum for an MSc program which is taught in the classroom is presented in modularform and includes detailed syllabi supported with an extensive list of references and resource materials. The educational experience is designed to promote intrinsic interest in the course and encourage a deep study holistic approach, developing higherorder cognitive skills. Formative assignments, interactive learning, seminars, presentations, and symposia, and a period of industrial placement are integral elements of the program. The development of excellent oral and written communication skills is strongly encouraged and should form a significant element of the formal course. An integrated package of learning. application, professional development, and experience is suggested and this should facilitate specialization in any area of the biopharmaceutical sector. Key Words: Postgraduate education; Biopharmaceutical industry
INTRODUCTION THE BIOPHARM ACEUTICAL industry has arisen from the innovative and productive fusion between traditional methods of drug development and the powerful new approaches of molecular biology and modem biotechnology. The ability to manipulate genes and their polypeptide products at the molecular level has allowed the identification of an unprecedented number of molecules, both protein- and DNA-based, with
*This work was undertaken with the financial assistance of the Drug Infomation Association. Reprint address: Gary Walsh, PhD, Industrial Biochemistry Programme, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. E-mail: [email protected]
human therapeutic potential. The potency of this new technology lies in the ability to find compounds, both naturally occurring or engineered, that illicit highly specific pharmacological responses. These developments have been paralleled by recent innovations in bioengineering and production technologies that make industrial-scale manufacture of biotechnology-derived therapeutic agents a reality. Substantial quantities of ‘new’ biopharmaceuticals or recombinant products such as growth factors, hormones, monoclonal antibodies, enzymes, and DNA-based pharmaceuticals that are of therapeutic, and in some cases of diagnostic, use have been produced. The journey from the discovery of a biopharmaceutical substance to its commercial production, however, demands safety, efficacy, stability, and potency to be demonstrated, to-
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