Times: Weekly, between July 28 and Aug 29, 2025

Style: Online (Remote Synchronous)

This 5-week course will introduce students with limited to no experience to the field of advanced biological therapeutics. Philadelphia is poised to be a leader in the field of Cell and Gene Therapy, therapies that harness the body to heal itself. With the first FDA approved gene therapy product to cure childhood blindness developed here in Philadelphia, we need to understand the field in order to push the science forward. We will discuss what gene therapy is, as well as cell-based therapies and other biologics, and hear from experts about the current state of the field and any challenges they are facing now. For the time of the class, you will be enrolled as a non-matriculated graduate student at Drexel University. The course is available for all students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in addition to working professionals. In this course, students will learn:

• Hear from academic and industry experts about the current state of the fields we will cover in the course

• The history of biologic therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies

• How gene therapies changed not only how we treat genetic diseases, but also the field of vaccines

• What cell-based therapies are and where the field is moving

• Manufacturing processes to create these therapies and challenges in scaling from the lab bench to the patient product

• Reading and understanding primary research articles

This Bootcamp is an online class organized with support of the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies at Drexel University.

Faculty

Victoria Nash, PhD, received her BS in Engineering Science and Biomedical Engineering Devices from Tufts University in 2015. She gained valuable insight into gene therapy while she worked for Moderna in Preclinical Production before returning to academia, where she obtained her MS in Biomedical Engineering in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems from Drexel University. During her master's degree studies, Victoria participated in Drexel's graduate co-op program and was fortunate enough to be the first student to do a co-op at Spark Therapeutics, working in Upstream Process Development. While she enjoyed her work at Spark, Victoria decided to stay in academia to complete her PhD in biomaterials and regenerative medicine in 2024, and was advised by Kara Spiller, PhD.

Tuition

Fees are approximately $1,400 for tuition. The workshop runs for 5 weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 - 6:30 pm.

The credit associated with the class can be applied to any MS degree offered by the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. This includes our new MS degree in Advanced Therapeutics.

Current Drexel Students

Please contact Natalia Broz (njb33@drexel.edu) if you are a current Drexel student and want to enroll in this course.

Apply through Drexel Graduate Admission (non-matriculated option)

1. Make a user account

2. Choose "Fall 2025-Summer 2026" option

3. Choose "Graduate Application"

4. Complete biographical information

5. Choose "The School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems" under "Academic Area of Interest" and then in the program field, choose "Non-Matriculated – School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems"

6. Choose "Summer" under "Term You Plan to Enroll"

7. Choose "Part-Time" under "Full-Time/Part-Time Status"

8. Follow the directions about entering current or previous institutions and emailing unofficial transcripts to enroll@drexel.edu and disregard application essay and CV information (click "Ccontinue").

9. Answer "Disclosures Questions"

10. Certify application and submit!

Apply Now

Deadline

Please apply until July 24, 2025

Learn More About the Drexel Graduate Certificate

To request more information about the program please contact the BIOMED Front Office.

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