Immunotechnologies

Immunotechnology is a field of biotechnology that uses knowledge of fundamental immunology to develop methods and technologies for therapeutic, diagnostic, or analytical purposes. This course unit will provide an understanding of how immunotechnology can be used at different stages of the bioproduction of a biomedicine, from the research and development stage to the quality control stage. 

The main objectives of this EU are:  

-Review basic knowledge of fundamental immunology in order to understand the structure and functions of antibodies, as well as the immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals. 

-Present the biotechnological tools used to generate and select monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.  

-Present analytical methods for characterizing antibodies (identity, function)  

This course will cover several topics through theoretical teaching: 

The immune system 

The antigen-antibody reaction 

Epitope analysis 

Antibody engineering  

Analytical methods  

This course unit includes lectures, tutorials, and practical work allowing students to apply the immunological techniques taught in this course unit.

Fundamental immunology and cell biology

Assessment is based on continuous assessment (CCI), incorporating marks for continuous assessment on the theoretical part and marks for practical work.  

Skills targeted by the EU: 

- Knowledge of the principle behind each method used for the analysis of therapeutic antibodies  

- Knowledge of monoclonal antibodies (format, mechanism, therapeutic application) and different production strategies  

- Setting up and optimizing experimental protocols (ELISA, Western blot, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry) 

- Interpretation of analytical results obtained using an analytical method