MSc Cancer Immunotherapy

About the course

The aim of the MSc in Cancer Immunotherapy is through an understanding of the numerous ways in which cancers and the immune system interact, to learn how cancer immunotherapies are developed. The utilisation of the immune system in cancer therapy has been a long standing goal in the field. The course will provide a thorough understanding of immune effector mechanisms and of cancer biology and the personal skills the students will develop, through problem-based learning and self-directed learning..

Why choose this course?

• This course will provide you with the skills you need to have for future opportunities in the fast growing cancer immunotherapy industry. It is an important discipline within the biomedical sciences and there is a high demand for well-qualified graduates.
• If you are a biomedical science, biology, or immunology graduate working in science, then this MSc programme will develop your skills and experience to facilitate your career progression, including future postgraduate study at MPhil/PhD level, with staff carrying out research in the cancer immunotherapy area.
• Our state of the art Science Building provides excellent facilities for laboratory based studies, including cell culture and plate reader based assays, isolated tissue studies, immunohistochemistry.

What will I study?

Students will benefit from the research interests of the Bioscience Research Group including studies of the tumour microenvironment and communication with infiltrating immune cells, of methods tumours employ to diminish the effectivity of immune effector mechanisms and of how tumours communicate using Extracellular Vesicles with pre-metastatic sites. The taught modules in the programme will cover such topics as Adoptive T cell therapy, tumour-associated macrophages, NK cells, monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy, vaccines, microbial cancer therapies and immune checkpoint blockade.

The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical classes and a research project and will utilise problem-based and self-directed learning. Students will also use case studies to encourage critical understanding. Through their research projects, carried out in the inspirational New Science Building and supervised by world-leading researchers, they will be trained in data collection, analysis and its interpretation. The Cancer Immunotherapy programme will also utilise expert external speakers from the biopharmaceutical industry.

Professional Accreditations

This course will be accrediated by the Royal Society for Biology Accreditation.

What job can I get?

In cancer immunology a long-term goal has been the activation of immune effector mechanisms for therapy. You will acquire skills needed for careers in the exponentially growing cancer immunotherapy industries (Roche, Merck, Astra Zeneca and Small Medium Sized Enterprises). Graduates of the MSc Cancer Immunotherapy may go on to work in a broad range of fields including: medical or pharmaceutical research and development, clinical trials, public health and epidemiology, academia research, medical writing/science journalism, education, or patent law. Alternatively, you may also use the MSc Cancer Immunotherapy degree to underpin an application to study for a research degree such as MRes, MSc by Research, or a PhD in a related field.