Immunotherapeutics Courses

What is Immunotherapeutics?

The immune system helps your body fight infections and other diseases. It is made up of white blood cells and organs and tissues of the lymph system.

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that helps your immune system fight diseases like cancer by boosting the body’s natural defences. It uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to improve how your immune system works to find and destroy cancer cells or other cells that are causing disease.

What 3rd level courses are available?

Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in Immunotherapeutics in the following subject areas:

• M.Sc. in Immunotherapeutics - Develop industry-relevant research skills, extend research experience and acquire advanced knowledge in the area of immunotherapeutics and biomanufacturing sciences.
• MSc Cellular Manufacturing and Therapy – This course balances the scientific aspects of cellular therapy, bioprocessing and manufacturing regulation and offers optional modules in cancer biology, business, clinical trials and bio-ethics.
• Postgraduate Courses in Allergy and Immunology – This course has been designed to suit all levels of healthcare professionals who deal with patients with allergic conditions, including doctors, specialist nurses and dieticians.
• Immunity-Boosting Food: Protect & Boost Your Immune System: - This course will give you the tools you need to learn how to boost the immune system healthily and naturally.

Studying Immunotherapeutics in college

There are many courses in Immunotherapeutics that may take place over a few days, weeks or even 1 year to 4 years depending on the course and modules selected. There are also part-time courses and night courses available so you can be sure to fit in your studies no matter what your schedule is like.

Courses will cover theory work through lectures, assignments, tutorials and taught modules. Assessments will take place on a continuous basis with written examinations and practical assignments combined in order to achieve a qualification.

You could also consider work experience or a work shadow in the industry. Familiarity with hospitals and clinics is important, so try to arrange a visit to a local hospital immunology department before applying and see if you can work shadow a clinical scientist working in immunology. Relevant work experience is a good way of demonstrating a genuine interest in the field and is regarded favourably by employers.

Work Experience will not only give you the opportunity to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the industry, it will also give you a chance to do some essential networking with other industry professionals and gain valuable contacts for the future.

Career options

After completing an Immunotherapeutics course you will be able to get started in a career that uses specific knowledge of immunology and diagnosing and managing disorders of the immune system.

As a clinical scientist working in immunology, you'll prepare, carry out and analyse tests on patients with a range of immune system disorders, including allergies, autoimmune disorders, primary immunodeficiency and antibody deficiency. You will interpret test results and report them to requesting clinicians, advising on further testing where necessary.

Typically work is in specialist departments of hospitals as part of a team that includes medical doctors and biomedical scientists specialising in immunology. If you're working in a laboratory-based role, you'll liaise closely with medical and other hospital staff. In a clinical role, you'll have more direct contact with patients and their families, as well as other clinical professionals.

Jobs are available in hospitals throughout the country although you may need to relocate to progress your career as there are only a few dedicated laboratories in each region.

Working hours will depend on whether you are employed by a facility with set business hours or if you are contracted to various businesses or companies. Self-employment is rare due to the specialised equipment and materials required to do the job. You will generally work a 37.5 hour week, Monday to Friday. You may also be required to work a shift pattern.

Related jobs include:

• Academic researcher
• Biomedical scientist
• Biotechnologist
• Clinical research associate
• Clinical scientist, immunology
• Food technologist
• Medicinal chemist
• Microbiologist
• Nanotechnologist
• Pharmacologist
• Research scientist (life sciences)
• Technical brewer
• Water quality scientist
• Ecologist
• Environmental engineer
• Forensic scientist
• Marine biologist
• Physician associate
• Scientific laboratory technician
• Community pharmacist
• Medical sales representative
• Medical science liaison
• Neuroscientist
• Regulatory affairs officer
• Science writer
• Toxicologist

Further study

After completing a course in Immunotherapeutics you may choose to pursue further study in a specialist field to increase your knowledge base and skill set. Postgraduate study can also be used as a means to change career focus or to gain professional qualifications required to practise in certain career areas such as Pharmacology, Toxicology, Microbiology or Biomedicine.

FAQ

How is immunotherapy given?

Different forms of immunotherapy may be given in different ways. These include:

• Intravenous (IV)
  The immunotherapy goes directly into a vein.
• Oral
  The immunotherapy comes in pills or capsules that you swallow.
• Topical
  The immunotherapy comes in a cream that you rub onto your skin. This type of immunotherapy can be used for very early skin cancer.
• Intravesical
  The immunotherapy goes directly into the bladder.

What are some of the current areas of research in immunotherapy?

Researchers are currently focusing on several major areas to improve immunotherapy, including:

• Finding solutions for resistance.
  Researchers are testing combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other types of immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy to overcome resistance to immunotherapy.
• Finding ways to predict responses to immunotherapy.
  Only a small portion of people who receive immunotherapy will respond to the treatment. Finding ways to predict which people will respond to treatment is a major area of research.
• Learning more about how cancer cells evade or suppress immune responses against them.
  A better understanding of how cancer cells get around the immune system could lead to the development of new drugs that block those processes.
• How to reduce the side effects of treatment with immunotherapy.

Where can I study Immunotherapeutics?

Explore your options here

 Did You Know?

• Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against a foreign invader without actually infecting the individual with the disease. As a result, when the body encounters that infection in the future, it knows how to fight it off.
• Stress can lead to increased levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone that is important for the overall function of our body; but too much of it can lead to a number of health problems, including decreased immunity.
• Not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on the body, and the immune system is no exception. Studies show that a lack of sleep may make you more likely to catch a cold and also makes it more difficult to fight off infection.
• When you experience an allergic reaction, your immune system is responding to a harmless allergen that it perceives as a threat. Symptoms of an allergic reaction, which can range from a runny nose to breaking out in hives to fainting, are a result of the body’s misguided attack.
• The immune system is a complex fighting system powered by five litres of blood and lymph. Lymph is a clear and colourless liquid that passes throughout the tissues of the body.