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Advanced Cell and Gene Therapies
Department of Neuroscience, The Medical School,
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health
Course description
Course Directors: Professor Mimoun Azzouz, Dr Laura Ferraiuolo
This innovative and progressive course combines the research strengths of our Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, academic and industry partners, and leading international scientists. You’ll study genetic factors associated with rare inherited diseases and how gene and cell therapies can be adopted as treatment options, as well as the principles of gene and cell therapies. You'll also explore the development of specific and efficient medical treatments tailored to individual patients.
On our MSc, you'll develop essential skills for each step of the translational pathway of cell and gene therapy products, including: discovery, vector design, GLP pre-clinical regulatory studies, GMP manufacturing and analytics, process innovation, quality control, qualified person (QP), safety, clinical design, commercialisation and market authorisation.
The course will provide you with up-to-date knowledge of advances in the field, offering a comprehensive road map on the required steps to take an advanced therapy project from discovery to clinical trial and then marketing authorisation.
Industry expertise
You’ll have access to a rich training platform offered by the Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC). We work closely with GTIMC partners, including:
- Advanced Therapy Manufacturing Industry Consortium
- Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
- Cobra and Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community
Externally to the GTIMC, we've created collaborative links with a wider gene therapy landscape, involving several major pharmaceutical companies. Some of the course content is provided by external partners such as academics from other advanced therapies centres, as well as pharmaceutical partners.
Internships and training courses
This course involves a 20-week hands-on project in the area of cell and gene therapy on the University campus with the potential to collaborate with one of our GTIMC partners or one of our industrial collaborators to enhance your theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
Modules
- An Introduction to Human Inherited Disease
- Principles of Gene and Cell Therapies
- Beyond Cell and Gene Therapy
- Omics Techniques and their Application to Genomic Medicine
- Clinical Development of Cell and Gene Therapeutics
- Literature Review
- Research Project
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption. We are no longer offering unrestricted module choice. If your course included unrestricted modules, your department will provide a list of modules from their own and other subject areas that you can choose from.
Open days
An open day gives you the best opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and staff about our courses. You'll find out what makes us special.
Duration
1 year full-time
Teaching
You'll be taught through a mixture of lectures with academic and industry experts, seminars, tutorials, student-led group work, practical sessions in academic and industry labs and research placements in clinical, regulatory and industry settings.
Assessment
Assessment is primarily through written assignments, coursework, short answer question examinations, poster and oral presentations and lay blogs. The research project is assessed by a thesis and presentation.
Your career
Our graduates enter the UK job market as a highly skilled individuals. As a growing sector with a skills shortage, this course will give you the strategic knowledge and training to compete in this market and provide you with a springboard for your future career. After successfully completing your course, you'll be able to proceed into:
- academic and industry positions
- careers in regulatory affairs (MHRA, FDA, EMA)
- opportunities within GMP manufacturing centres
- process innovation
- qualified person (QP) roles
- careers at NIHR Biomedical Research Centres for human experimental medicine
- opportunities at the newly established Advanced Therapies Treatment Centres funded by Innovate UK
- PhD research
- research technician or research assistant roles
- scientific writing
- clinical trial administrator roles/management
Facilities and collaborations
You’ll study at the Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), within the Department of Neuroscience.
SITraN is an international centre of excellence recognised for its groundbreaking work in the fight against motor neurone disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
We also collaborate with the University of Sheffield's Neuroscience Institute.
Entry requirements
You'll need at least a 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in a relevant science, engineering, law or medical subject.
Overall IELTS score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the department.
Fees and funding
Apply
You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.
Contact
Helen Hickson
CellGeneTherapies@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2296
Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.
Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.