Program Overview

Biotechnology is a sector that promises extraordinary rewards from new drugs that address our medical needs and fight epidemics and rare diseases, to industrial processes that use renewable energy and crops that are able to grow in harsh climatic conditions and ensure safe and affordable food.

You develop comprehensive knowledge and understanding of biosciences, expertise and skills in relation to biochemistry, manufacturing principles and laboratory practice required by the biotechnologies sector within an industrial context of biological products.

You also have the unique opportunity participate in a research-intensive course, via a combination of taught modules and an in-depth research project, utilising the facilities of the University’s National Horizons Centre (NHC).

The NHC offers state-of-the-art analytical and digital infrastructure supporting basic and applied research in the biosciences and across disciplinary boundaries, aligned to academic excellence and industry needs. Building on the strengths of our current research teams, you are exposed to a significant internationally competitive research and innovation capability that is responsive and engaged with industry needs to develop sustainable relationships with regional and national partners to power growth and innovation in the bioscience sector.

High-spec teaching, learning and collaboration spaces, labs, a state-of-the-art computing suite, and open innovation spaces give you the tools for project development using data analytics, modelling and simulation, visualisation and process improvement and control.

The North East, particularly, the Teesside region, is an important regional, national and international hub for the life sciences sector, with both well established (FujiFilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, GlaxoSmithKline, Hart Biologicals) and emergent companies (Absolute Antibodies, StreamBio, Hexis Labs, Quantum Dx). Next to the Centre for Process Innovation’s National Biologics Manufacturing Centre and the University’s Centre for Professional and Executive Development, the National Horizons Centre is at the heart of an ecosystem of life science excellence.

Facilities within the National Horizons Centre enable you to engage with a range of advance and innovative research themes including:

• Provision of a comprehensive genomic, proteomic, metabolomics data acquisition, processing and modelling capability with internationally competitive instrumentation, software and technical support.
• Studies of disease pathways including biomarker discovery, treatment monitoring, development of diagnostics and screening. Supported by bioinformatics modelling and development of predictive models.
• Biopharmaceutical research including product characterization, metabolism and drug interaction studies.
• Protein structure/function studies including aggregation, modification, activation and inhibition
• Use of advanced cellular imaging capabilities, including live cell imaging, using light, confocal and Raman microscopy approaches incorporating fluorescence resonance energy transfer and fluorescence lifetime imaging. This will enable the study of, among other topics;
  • Conformational changes
  • Drug interactions with living cells
  • Molecular interactions
  • Tissue characterisation