Learning and Teaching Materials about Biological Drugs

By jeltsch on Sun, 06/08/2025 - 17:59

 
Lecture slides "Biologiset lääkkeet" (Finnish)

Learning Materials in Finnish Language
 

Basic introduction to biological drugs

Basic introduction to biosimilars

Learning Materials in English Language
 

Interesting movies about biological drugs (English)

  • The Gene: An Intimate History (Two-part documentary)
    Year: 2020
    Plotline: The Gene offers a deeply personal journey through genetics. It’s a powerful reminder of how tiny DNA strands underpin human health and disease, and how wielding that power carries immense promise and profound responsibility. Excellent coverage of biotech and gene-based biological drugs such as CRISPR.
    Creator: PBS, based on Siddhartha Mukherjee's book
    URL part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsWLNqoWLA
    URL part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Af6FqaetQ
  • Ozempic - The truth behind the "miracle drug" (Documentary)
    Year: 2024
    Plotline: New insulins are marginally better than those from 40 years ago, but much more expensive
    Creator: Radio Télévison Suisse/Deutsche Welle
    URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBI1WCmHRe4
  • Insulin - a lucrative disease (Documentary)
    Year: 2022
    Plotline: New insulins are marginally better than those from 40 years ago, but much more expensive
    Creator: Deutsche Welle
    URL: https://archive.org/details/youtube-rVH9J9uuySc
  • Scientists Just Created World's First Smart Insulin (Youtube video)
    Year: 2025
    Plotline: The video discusses the development of a designer, glucose-sensitive ("smart") insulin that can self-regulate: it is active when blood sugar is high and incactive when it's low thereby reducing the risk of overdosing.
    Creator: Dr. Ben Miles
    URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVTS_J7Xmxs
  • Living proof (TV movie)
    Year: 2008
    Plotline: The development of the breast cancer antibody drug Herceptin. Given the low budget, and lack of science advisors (resulting in some scientific inaccuracies), this is surprisingly good.
    Creator: Dan Ireland (Director), Vivienne Radkoff & Robert Bazell (Writers)
    URL: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229367/
    Alternatively, the same story told by real-world HER2-positive brest-cancer patient Lisa. A 30-year journey from her initial diagnosis in her early 30s to a recurrence that had spread extensively, and how targeted therapies like Herceptin and Perjeta helped extend her life with stage IV disease. It also traces the decades-long scientific effort behind HER2-targeted treatments, highlighting key discoveries and drug developments that transformed breast cancer care: https://www.gene.com/stories/her2.

Teaching videos (English)

Textbook (English)

  • Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming Proteins and Genes into Drugs
    Year: 2013
    Author(s): Rodney J.Y. Ho & Milo Gibaldi
    DOI: 10.1002/9781118660485