Immune checkpoint inhibitors: game changers in oncology

What is the course about?

This course tells two very different stories about immunotherapy.

The first story is about Willam Coley - the father of immunotherapy - and his pioneering work, dating back to over a century ago. His revolutionary approach in treating inoperable cancer patients with bacterial toxins clearly demonstrated that the keys to curing many cancers are to be found in the patient's own immune system.

The second story is about the mechanisms that control the immune system's capacity to destroy bacterial pathogens and diseased human cells, cancer cells in particular.

This course covers all the scientific foundations needed to understand how the adaptive immune system is trained to produce well-behaved killer T-cells, how these T-cells can eliminate tumor cells through the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and what challenges and opportunities are associated with ICI therapies.

This course also includes a first-in-class resource: Biotech Toolboxes. Biotech toolboxes offer different complementary ways to use relevant key terms, essential for mastering the common territory of all biotechnology. These terms constitute a growing Biotech Toolboxes Encyclopedia, a framework for the creation of shareable life sciences knowledge for all stakeholders in healthcare.

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Course content

What will you learn?

By the end of the course, you will have a clear conceptual understanding of:

• Central immune tolerance
• Peripheral Immune tolerance
• The roles played by dendritic cells in the establishment of immune homeostasis and immune activation
• The importance of pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns in the priming of the immune system
• The basic mechanisms of immune checkpoints
• The cancer cell's capacities to evade the cytotoxic activities of T cells
• The various immune states of solid cancers
• The limitations and dangers of iCI therapies
• What the future of immunotherapy may be like

What is the target audience?

• All professionals involved in oncology drug development
• All biomedical professionals in need of continuing medical education
• Investors and other enablers of oncology drug pipelines
• Regulatory affairs and regulatory science professionals
• Cancer care providers and caregivers that are non-oncologists
• University students interested in life sciences
• Anyone with a strong interest in cancer therapies

What prior knowledge is required?

Prior knowledge of basic cell biology and fundamentals of cancer biology recommended, but not required.

Course instructors