Master on pharmaceutical biotechnology

Master on Pharmaceutical Microbiology, School of Pharmacy, Institut Teknologi Bandung

Jl. Ganesha No. 10 Bandung 40132 Phone/fax: +62222504852/+62222534125

This master program was initiated in 1999, focuses in molecular-based microbiology/biotechnology related to pharmaceutical field. Many pharmaceutical products are produced by recombinant DNA technology or hibridoma technology. Some examples are therapeutic proteins (insulin, interleukin, interferon, tissue plasminogen activator, growth hormon), vaccine (Hepatitis B vaccine), detection kit (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction, Transcription-mediated Amplification, branch-DNA, sekuensing) and monoclonal antibody (for cancers). Several products will be available on the market in the near future i.e. gene therapy, protein / DNA microarray, DNA vaccine, and many others. To anticipate this fast moving progress in pharmaceutical biotechnology, we offer courses to challenge that as follow:

Mandatory courses:

Semester I: Cellular and Molecular Biology of Microbes (3 credits); Microbial Biochemistry (3 credits); Analytical Microbiology (3 credits); Molecular Pharmacology (3 cridts).

Semester II: Microbial Genetics (2 credits lecture and 1 credit lab work); Molecular Immunology (3 credits); Physiology of Microbes (3 credits)

Semester III: Master research I (proposal writing) and elective courses

Semester IV: Master research II (research), elective courses, seminar and comprehensive examination

Elective courses:
Recombinant DNA Technology (2 credits); Molecular Pathogenesis (2 credits); Industrial Microbiology (2 credits); Immunology Products (2 credits); Pathophysiology (2 credits); Virulece of Bacterial Pathogens (2 credits).

Students are required to actively participate in the classes by doing presentations, literature searching from data bases via internet, using computer programs for genome, nucleic acid and protein analyses. These activities accommodate students' interests. By this method, students are trained to develop their knowledge gained in the class so they can optimally obtain benefit from unlimited scientific information.

Research topics

Molecular Biology of Streptococcus pyogenes: molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, development of vaccine and recombinan therapeutic proteins

Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV): molecular study of vaccine escape mutants, subtyping, genotyping and antiviral resistancy

Exploration of Indonesian Microbial Biodiversity for therapeutic use using molecular approaches

If research funding is available, students with good grades will obtain opportunity to do their master research through this funding scheme.

When conducting their master research projects, students are required to attend lab meeting on friday 10:00 - 13:00 every two weeks. Besides presenting and discussing research results, students and research assistants are also required to present and discuss interesting topics related to pharmaceutical biotechnology to widen their knowledge.

Participants

So far our students are from Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry, LIPI, BPPT, BPOM and PPOMN and from individual.

Alumni

Some alumni are accepted in doctoral program oversease.

More info?

School of Pharmacy, ITB LabTek VII, Jalan Ganesa No. 10 Bandung 40132 Phone/Facimile: 022-250-4852 for administration info or sending email to Debbie S. Retnoningrum, PhD (retnoningrum@indo.net.id) for scientific info.

 

Laboratory Safety Training

Together with Dr. Ir. Sri Harjati Suhardi and Dra. Endang Srieatimah, I am conducting a training on Laboratory Safety at PT Biofarma, Bandung, Indonesia for 6 weeks in June - August 2006. The contents of this training are regarding:
a. Undertanding of various hazard.
b. Self Evaluation for working with pathogenic agents.
c. Accident response.
d. Audit.
In this training, I give short lectures about bacterial and viral pathogens as well as prion to give awarness to the participants how dangerous they are. However, if they follow the safety guideline they can avoid laboratory-acquired infections. Most of the viruses including HIV are easyly to be decontaminated as long as they know how to do that. Even prion can be destroyed properly. They can obtain all of this information from Material Safety Data Sheet of each pathogen.

Debbie S. Retnoningrum