Biotechnology innovation is in a large part driven by the requirement for improvements in medical diagnosis and therapy for a range of diseases including autoimmune diseases, diseases of inflammation and cancer, and infectious diseases. Innovations in biomolecular therapies such as recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, stem cells and novel bioinspired materials have and will continue to improve available medical treatments for many conditions. The course is designed to give students a detailed insight into the principles and techniques leading to these innovations. The practical work includes production of a recombinant monoclonal antibody fragment, and pre-clinical assessment of its diagnostic and therapeutic potential.