3 ECTS credits
75 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4021493ENR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
This course provides an Introduction to the basic principles of vaccine technology. More specifically, the course will
(1) overview the existing vaccines and the types of infectious diseases kept under control by vaccination. This will include an insight in the type of immune response needed to prevent an infectious agent from causing illness.
(2) provide a historic overview of vaccine development.
(3) discuss vaccine requirements and classifications.
(4) provide a deeper insight in the biological working mechanisms of vaccines and adjuvants. This will include an overview of currently used adjuvants and adjuvants under develoment, their interaction with the immune system, their pros and cons for use against specific pathogens.
(5) elaborate on anti-tumor vaccines and anti-tumor immunotherapy. This will include the discovery of tumor-associated antigens and types of tumor-associated antigens, passive immunotherapy by the adoptive transfer of anti-tumor T lymphocytes, active immunotherapy via dendritic cell vaccination, immune checkpoint blockade.
(6) provide a brief overview of safety issues & regulations.
(7) discuss a case study, providing insight in to the roadmap for the development of a particular vaccine within a pharmaceutical company.
contact: jo.van.ginderachter@vub.be
The powerpoint slides for this course are made available on the Canvas platform.
- Students understand the basic components of a vaccine and can link these components to the functionality of a vaccine
- Students are able to clarify the relationship between the type of infectious agent and the type of immune responses needed to defend ourselves against this pathogen. Linked to this, the students are able to reason which type of vaccine is required for which type of infection.
- The students are able define the working mechanisms of the most commonly used vaccines and adjuvants. The student can reason which type of adjuvant would be most suitable for the development of a vaccine against which type of pathogen.
- The students are able to argue about the most important pitfalls of anti-tumor immunotherapy and can provide potential solutions.
- The students are able to define the most common safety issues and regulations for the development of vaccines. This includes an understanding of the different steps in clinical trials.
- The students can describe and understand the necessity of the different developmental steps of a vaccine in an industrial environment.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The evaluation consists of an oral exam with written preparation (15 min preparation, 15 min interrogation). The students receive three open questions, which includes (i) a question taken from one chapter of the course, (ii) a question interrogating a broader concept, whereby aspects of different chapters need to be combined, (iii) a small problem, for which a plausible solution needs to be found. During the oral interrogation, the student will be further probed based upon the initial responses he/she has prepared. The questions will probe both knowledge, insight and the capacity to apply the knowledge to concrete problems.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Molecular Biology: Standaard traject
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity