Targeted Therapeutics & Theranostics

Programme Structure

The graduate training programme in Therapeutics and Theranostics is a 4 year programme. Year 1 will consist of taught modules, practical training in key technologies and laboratory rotations.  It is anticipated that the students recruited to this programme will have a variety of scientific backgrounds spanning both the Biomedical and Chemical Sciences. Therefore, the course will provide the necessary background and understanding in Biology and Chemistry in the early stages of the programme. The students will then be provided with a number of specific modules in Therapeutics such as cell recognition and targeting, neurotherapeutics, functional and structural definition of drug targets, drug design and biotherapeutic engineering. They will also have a number of option modules to satisfy their particular areas of interest including immunology, genetics and animal cell biotechnology. The modules will be delivered by specialists both from within DCU and the National consortium. Students can also avail of specialized modules from within the National consortium at partnering institutions. Practical research training will also be provided in the first year in the form of laboratory rotations and hands-on training in specialized technologies relevant to the research programme.

The graduate school will be underpinned by a novel and progressive research programme. Years 2-4 will consist of a dedicated research project in within this programme which focuses on molecular targets created in-house, with functional relevance in many disease states, with the aim of developing novel therapeutics having strong commercialisation potential.