Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Introduction to Biomedical Companies
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish
Teaching staff
Questions that students may have will be resolved before or after class in person, or via email through direct contact throughout the course.
Introduction
The course is aimed at giving students a complementary view of science that allows them to be informed and, where appropriate, make decisions in relation to the development of a career in the field of creation and management of biomedical oriented companies and R&D. It is presented at an introductory level, as within the curriculum there will be core and optional subjects that will develop in depth some of the issues raised.
Pre-course requirements
None.
Objectives
- Provide students with the basics to understand the complexities involved in developing and marketing a drug (including determining its price), beyond the scientific aspects associated with its mechanism of action in relation to the disease.
- To present the biomedical company as a necessary instrument for the transformation of scientific knowledge into socio-economic value, in the form of services or products that improve the quality of life of patients.
- To offer students an overview of the different types of biomedical company and the professional profiles that can be integrated into them, with special emphasis on recent cases of local companies created and stemming from academic research.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CB01 - Students must demonstrate that they have and understand knowledge in an area of study that is based on general secondary education, and it tends to be found at a level that, although it is based on advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge from the cutting-edge of their field of study.
- CB03 - Students must have the ability to bring together and interpret significant data (normally within their area of study) to issue judgements that include a reflection on significant issues of a social, scientific and ethical nature.
- CB04 - That students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- CB05 - That students have developed the necessary learning skills to undertake subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy.
- CE18 - To identify the different stages of the process of a transfer of basic knowledge to a product, technology or service as well as methods for entrepreneurship and innovation that facilitate the various stages of the transfer of knowledge.
- CG05 - To be aware of the different fields and dynamics in biomedical companies where a graduate in Biomedical Science can work.
- CT01 - To develop the organisational and planning skills that are suitable in each moment.
- CT02 - To develop the ability to resolve problems.
- CT03 - To develop analytical and summarising skills.
- CT04 - To interpret experimental results and identify consistent and inconsistent elements.
- CT05 - To use the internet as a means of communication and a source of information.
- CT06 - To know how to communicate, give presentations and write up scientific reports.
- CT07 - To be capable of working in a team.
- CT08 - To reason and evaluate situations and results from a critical and constructive point of view.
- CT09 - To have the ability to develop interpersonal skills.
- CT10 - To be capable of autonomous learning.
- CT11 - To apply theoretical knowledge to practice.
- CT13 - To be aware of the general and specific aspects related to the field of nutrition and ageing.
- CT14 - To respect the fundamental rights of equality between men and women, and the promotion of human rights and the values that are specific to a culture of peace and democratic values.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, the student will:
- Learn about the value chain from the generation of new ideas in the biomedical research laboratory and the development of clinical trials to the creation of a new drug, technology or service to assist patients.
- Become familiarised with the different types of biomedical company, their business models, partnership profile, etc., and be able to match existing companies with their type.
- Meet the main players in the Spanish and Catalan biomedical sector.
- Understand the importance of non-scientific elements in the development of new drugs or biomedical services: industrial and intellectual property, legal and regulatory aspects, financing strategies, non-scientific communication, industrial development (scaling and quality control).
- Know the main elements that condition the price of a biomedical service or product (introductory notions of "market access").
- Become familiarised with the current trends in biomedicine: precision or personalised therapy, gene therapy, cell therapy, immune-oncology.
- Knows basic elements of pitch communication in order to capture investors' interest
- Become familiarised with the different professional options (“job descriptions”) offered by the biomedical company to graduates and doctors in biomedicine
Syllabus
- Basic definitions, what a company is, governance structures, basic management. Basic concepts in business biomedicine. The aim is for the student to become familiar with everyday concepts and to use them in subsequent classes. There will also be a "glossary" of basic terms to help throughout the course.
- Drug / device development. The aim is for students to know the timelines, risks and costs of developing biomedical products and services, including regulatory, industrial and legal aspects, in addition to demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of a new treatment.
- Transmission of the concepts that define companies that use biomedicine as a central part of their existence: what is meant by biotech, MedTech, pharma, generic, biologists, etc.
- Case method discussion using the web pages of different companies defined in the previous section.
- Case method: the example of the discovery and development of penicillin will be used to introduce the four key factors that affect the success of a biomedical development, technical, industrial, regulatory and commercial, with a focus on the importance of the existence of incentives associated with an unsatisfied need, the most obvious symptom of which is the financial incentive.
- Monographic workshop to introduce the concept of patents (the importance of which will have been pointed out in the case of penicillin), in an open case format in which the different options that exist for the protection of the industrial property are covered, including basic definitions of what a patent is.
- Evolution of the biomedical industry, from a single model (2000) to a diversified model (2025).
- Description of the current technologies that are creating the most expectations for the health of the future (gene editing, CART, ehealth, oncoimmunology, precision medicine, cell therapy and healing ...). The class will be used to work for the first time on the controversial issue of the price of health and medicines, as an introduction to pharmacoeconomics. Value of an R&D project: cost / benefit / profitability. Temporary value of money and expected value Practical project evaluation exercise (in groups) Basic principles for financing emerging biomedical companies.
- The concept of the generation and sale of future expectations, its analogy with the market of financial futures and capital and the difference between a purely speculative market and the risk financing system of the biomedical sector will be fundamentally worked on.
- Economic assessment of health interventions (pharmacoeconomics) Practical exercise in economic assessment of health
- Technology transfer models based on biomedical research of academic origin
- Concept of stakeholders, or interest groups, which is fundamental to understanding the economic levers of the biomedical sector
- General review of the main concepts of the subject and review of possible career opportunities in the sector
- Case methodology and visits The practical classes will be complemented by visits from professionals from the local environment who explain their professional trajectory and the business model of their company. Each visit will be associated with a theoretical topic, and the set will be the subject of the elaboration of a short presentation (pitch) of free orientation within the topic and the visit, so that each case session will open with 3- 5 "pitches" and there will be an open discussion about the material presented by the students
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Master classes: presentation during 2 sessions of 50 minutes of a theoretical topic by the teacher. Classes will be held in catalan, the alumni are free to use any language of the course (Catalan, Spanish or English) for discussion, questions, etc.
Practical classes and case methods (CM): The practical classes will be based on visits from a wide range of relevant professionals from biomedical companies. The case methodology will be based on the project “The pitch as a learning tool: individual pitches on free topics as a basic skill and support for case methodology,” recognized as an innovative best practice by the UIC’s teaching innovation classroom during the 2022-2023 academic year. Each student will prepare and present a "pitch" (a short 5-minute presentation) on a free biomedical topic (a company, a disease, a situation, a product...) and a collective discussion will be constructed on the presented topic in which, following the case methodology, basic concepts of the subject will be consolidated. The collection of pitches from the course will be compiled into a report that will be deposited for consultation in the department of health sciences.
Language in classes or discussion will be that of the presenter (visit or alumni presenting pitch).
Virtual Education (VE): Online material that the student can consult from any computer, at any time, that will contribute to the self-learning of concepts related to the subject
Catalan courses: Cursos de català | Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (uic.es)
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Evaluation Parameters for the First Call:
20 % Attitude and Participation
20 % Pitch
20 % Midterm Exam
40 % Final Exam (in the first call)
Attendance below 80% of the classes will result in a 10% penalty of the overall grade obtained
In case of failure in the final exam, the average will not be calculated; passing the final exam is mandatory to pass the course
Evaluation Parameters for the Second Call:In the second call, the part of the grade related to attitude and participation in class, as well as the pitch and attendance grades, will be retained. The final grade will be as follows:
20 % Attitude and Participation (retained from the first call)
20 % Pitch (retained from the first call)
60 % Final Exam (in the second call)
Class attendance criteria remains the same, with a penalty for attending less than 80% of the classes (both lectures and case method)
In case of failure in the final exam, the average will not be calculated; passing the final exam is mandatory to pass the course
Evaluation Parameters for the Third Call or Subsequent Calls:From the third call onwards, the part of the grade related to attitude and participation in class, as well as the pitch and attendance from the first course taken, will be retained, although the student has the possibility to improve these grades in subsequent courses. The final grade will be as follows:
20 % Attitude and Participation (improved, retained from the first call)
20 % Pitch (improved or retained from the first call)
60 % Final Exam (in the third call or subsequent)
Class attendance criteria remains the same, with a penalty for attending less than 80% of the classes (both lectures and case method)
In case of failure in the final exam, the average will not be calculated; passing the final exam is mandatory to pass the course
It is highly recommended for repeating students to attend practical classes (external visits) and, as much as possible, the case methods, since they cover exam topics that vary from course to course.
Evaluation of Attitude and Participation in Class and Cases:Subjective evaluation by the faculty and speakers, based on:
- The predisposition to learning and a positive and constructive attitude
- Proactivity in discussion dynamics
- Active participation in questions asked by the faculty/speaker
- Asking questions or expressing doubts during the sessions
- Respect for ideas expressed by classmates
60 % of the grade:
Test with multiple-choice or true/false questions, if multiple-choice, 4 answer options, one or two valid options (as will be indicated). Incorrect answers will deduct points from the grade as specified in the exam.
40 % of the grade:
2 essay questions (15 lines): critical explanation of a news item (choose between 2 options) and explanation of the activity profile of a company or case discussed in class including pitches (choose between 2 options seen in class).
Final Exam (all calls)60 % of the grade:
Test with multiple-choice or true/false questions, if multiple-choice, 4 answer options, one or two valid options (as will be indicated). Incorrect answers will deduct points from the grade as specified in the exam
40 % of the grade:
2 essay questions (15 lines): explanation of the activity profile of a company (choose between 2 options from class visits) and integrated elaboration of theoretical concepts described in lectures based on a news item or situation.
Bibliography and resources
Ciencia y Negocio, una visita a Businesslandia. Luis Ruiz Avila, Editorial EUNSA, 2020.
Evaluation period
- E1 10/01/2025 A16 16:00h
- R1 27/01/2025 11:00h
- E2 17/06/2025 A04 16:00h