Bringing industry perspectives into the classroom helps students connect learning to practical experiences. We had the opportunity to do that by collaborating with the National University of Singapore (NUS) on the development of a new elective course for its Masters of Science in Biotechnology programme.
Part of the Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Basket, the new course – The Biotech Revolution and Biologic Drugs – examines how biotechnology has reshaped drug discovery and development by exploring the process of turning genes, proteins and cells into biologic drugs.
For the first time, our team was involved in discussing the course content, providing input on two topics: antibody therapeutics and intellectual property in drug development. Our team worked with the course coordinator to discuss the direction and content of these sessions, helping to ensure that the material reflected practical industry perspectives.
We also supported the course delivery by guest-lecturing in three sessions. Dr Feng Shu, a Research Manager in our Lead Optimization Unit, as well as our Automation and Data Management Unit, led the first session on Antibody Therapeutics on 20 August 2025. She introduced how antibody engineering contributes to the development of antibody therapeutics.
In the second instalment of the lecture on Antibody Therapeutics on 22 August 2025, Dr Eric Ng, a Senior Scientist from our Lead Optimization Unit, expanded on the concepts covered earlier and provided further examples of their application.
Our final guest lecture took place on 22 October 2025, when our Intellectual Property Manager, Lim Seng Koon, covered the topic of intellectual property in drug development.
Overall, these three sessions formed part of a broader lineup of guest lectures delivered by other invited speakers throughout the course.
Helping shape the course and deliver key sessions allowed us to bring industry perspective directly to the post-graduate science students. We look forward to future opportunities to do so.
