15.480x | Fall 2021 | Graduate

The Science and Business of Biotechnology

Course Description

This course focuses on early-stage biotechnology companies with particular emphasis on understanding the underlying science, technology, and disease targets—together with the application of novel business structures and financing methods—to facilitate drug discovery, clinical development, and greater patient access to …

This course focuses on early-stage biotechnology companies with particular emphasis on understanding the underlying science, technology, and disease targets—together with the application of novel business structures and financing methods—to facilitate drug discovery, clinical development, and greater patient access to new therapies.   

The course was created for MITx as a collaboration between the Whitehead Institute and the Sloan School of Management and is now archived on the Open Learning Library (OLL), which is free to use. You have the option to sign up and enroll in each module if you want to track your progress, or you can view and use all the materials without enrolling.

Colorful diagram of the structure of insulin, a globular protein that contains two chains.
Diagram of the structure of insulin. Synthetic insulin was the first “golden molecule” of the biotech industry. (Image courtesy Isaac Yonemoto. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY.)