120.614.01
Genetic Engineering for the Public’s Health
Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Tu, Th, 9:00 - 10:20am
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
While genetic engineering of human cells has true curative potential, a broad understanding of the science, regulation, funding and the attendant social justice issues of cell and gene therapy is needed. In this overview course we will introduce each of these topics, discuss them in depth, and propose solutions that accelerate the implementation of discovery research to public health.
Explores both the justice issues that underlie the application of cell and gene engineering to populations that would benefit, and the science behind how these cures are developed and subsequently delivered to a health care system. Includes an overview of the current technologies that have led to curative interventions for sickle cell disease and engineered immune cells for malignancy, the regulatory and financial issues that the drive cost of these advanced therapies, and the social justice issues of equitable access. Encourages students to synthesize these broad concepts and to propose new solutions that impact public health.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Define approaches currently employed to genetically engineer cells and tissues for therapy of human disease
- Assess the suitability of in vivo and ex vivo gene therapy approaches for specific disease classes
- Describe the engineering of peripheral blood T cells and stem cells with regard to mechanism of action of gene vectors
- Analyze how gene engineering technologies are priced in the context of the required manufacturing, regulatory, and medical constraints
- Synthesize how the economics of how we produce cell and gene therapies, and how these therapies are priced, impact social justice issues, focusing on equitable access
- Create a class presentation that proposes a solution to specific challenges in developing cell and gene therapy approaches to improving public health
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 30% Midterm
- 30% Final Exam
- 20% Presentation(s)
- 20% Written summary of presentation material, including background material to develop the proposed solution,
This is the onsite section of a course also held online/virtual. You are responsible for the modality in which you register.