Principles and Practice of Drug Development 2020
PPD2020 is a joint MIT-Harvard course listed in multiple departments under the following numbers: BCMP230/ 7.547J/ 15.136J/ 10.547J/ HST.920J/ IDS.620J
PPDD was one of the earliest courses focused on the practice of contemporary drug discovery. It has been updated repeatedly and is throoughly revamped for the 2020 academic year. PPDD is taught by MIT and Harvard Faculty and by guest experts from the pharma and biotech industries, finance, and government agencies. The course emphasizes a high level of student participation.
PPD2020 is suitable for individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests from biology to engineering, business and medicine. We welcome both graduates and undergraduate students.
Course Description. Introduction to and critical assessment of the concepts, technologies and practical challenges of developing a new medicine and bringing it to market. Pharmacology fundamentals, preclinical drug discovery, clinical trials, manufacturing and regulatory issues, as well as financing and marketing are discussed for small molecule, biologic and cellular therapies. Faculty from MIT, Harvard and industry present introductory and topic-specific lectures (case studies) and students engage in weekly news updates and collaborative research projects. The course uses a medical, economic and societal issues associated with drug development now and in the future.
Wednesdays 3-6pm. In the 2020-2021 semester this course will taught virtually via Zoom.
Prerequisite: None. Knowledge of basic biology, biomedicine or bioengineering. Familiarity with basic economic principles will be helpful.
Course Directors: Stan N. Finkelstein and Peter K. Sorger
Junior Course Director: Nienke Moret
TAs: Deborah Plana and Adrianna Boghozian
Course Founding Directors: Thomas J. Allen, Charles L. Cooney, G. K. Raju, Anthony Sinskey
Note on class participation: The interactive component of this course is established through insightful questions and critical thinking of students taking the course. It is therefore critical that you prepare for class and are ready to ask insightful questions on the topic of each session. Questions are encouraged throughout the session but are essential in the Q&A part of each class. To facilitate an active participation, each team will be assigned to moderate the discussion of one or two sessions and students are required to have their cameras on throughout the sessions and to use their name (as written in their course registration) on zoom.
