Advanced Therapies
(part of Biology for Health)
£350 per student for the full three-session programme.
Maximum cohort size of 20.
Advanced therapies — including gene therapy, cell therapy, and RNA-based medicines — represent one of the most exciting and fastest-moving frontiers in modern biology. For the first time in history, scientists are using the language of DNA to treat diseases that were once considered untreatable: inherited blindness, blood disorders, certain cancers. This three-session programme is delivered by senior research scientists from the biotech industry, and gives students a direct line into the world they are building.
The programme goes well beyond the school biology curriculum. Where A-level biology explains what DNA is, Advanced Therapies explores what it can do — and who gets paid to make it happen. Students will encounter not just the science, but the full ecosystem of careers that surrounds it: research scientists and postdocs, regulatory affairs specialists, clinical trial coordinators, IP lawyers, biotech investors, and commercial directors. Most of these roles are invisible to secondary school students. This programme makes them visible.
Designed for students in Years 10 to 13 with an interest in biology, medicine, or the life sciences, Advanced Therapies is particularly valuable for students who are weighing their options — between medicine and research, between science and industry, between the obvious path and the one they haven't yet considered. Students leave with a clearer picture of what biology actually enables, and the language to articulate it in a personal statement, a university interview, or simply a conversation about what they want to do with their lives. Content is pitched to stretch and extend students studying biology at GCSE or A-level.
Learning Outcomes
-
Understand what advanced therapies are — including gene therapy, cell therapy, and RNA medicines — and how they differ fundamentally from conventional drugs, going beyond what the A-level curriculum covers.
-
Explain, in broad terms, how a gene therapy works at the molecular level — from vector design to delivery — and why this represents a new paradigm in treating human disease.
-
Describe the range of careers involved in bringing an advanced therapy from laboratory concept to patient treatment — including research, regulatory affairs, clinical development, and commercial roles
-
Discuss real challenges faced by scientists and companies in this field — scientific, ethical, regulatory, and commercial — as explained by practitioners who navigate them every day.
-
Articulate, with genuine understanding, why advanced therapies matter for the future of medicine — and use that understanding to inform their own thinking about what they want to study and why.
Session Details
Session 1
Monday 26 Oct 2026
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
The Science of Advanced Therapies
What if a single treatment could correct the root cause of a disease, rather than just managing its symptoms? In this session, students explore what cell and gene therapies are, how they work, and the real conditions they are already treating — building the foundation for everything that follows.
Session 2
Wednesday 28 Oct 2026
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
From Discovery to Patient
Getting a therapy from a laboratory discovery to a patient requires far more than scientists. In this session, students follow that journey end to end — and meet the extraordinary range of roles that make it possible, many of which have nothing to do with a lab bench.
Session 3
Friday 30 Oct2026
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
You're the Decision Maker
Students step into the shoes of gene therapy executives and investors, deciding which programme to back. Weighing patient population, intellectual property, manufacturing complexity, and commercial potential, they experience first-hand how science, strategy, and real-world constraints collide.
Expert professionals
Advanced Therapies is delivered by senior research scientists from the biotech industry not teachers, not university lecturers, but people who are actively building the future of medicine. Both facilitators are based at Beacon Therapeutics, a London-based gene therapy company, and each bring over a decade of industry experience to every session.
Dr Azadeh Kia
Vice President of Research, Beacon Therapeutics
Dr Azadeh Kia is Vice President of Research at Beacon Therapeutics, a London-based gene therapy biotech company.
She holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine from Imperial College London and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at University College London, before moving into industry where she has spent over a decade working at the forefront of advanced therapy development. Azadeh is a frequent speaker and panellist at leading conferences in gene and advanced therapies, bringing both scientific depth and a practitioner's perspective to the field.
-
PhD, Molecular Medicine, Imperial College London
-
Postdoctoral Fellow, University College London
-
10+ years in the advanced therapy industry
-
Frequent speaker and panellist at gene and advanced therapy conferences
Anna Dreismann
Executive Director of Research, Beacon Therapeutics
Dr Anna Dreismann is Executive Director of Research at Beacon Therapeutics, a London-based gene therapy biotech company.
She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has spent her career at the intersection of gene therapy, immunology, and translational science. Anna was employee number one at Gyroscope Therapeutics, where she helped build the company from founding through to its acquisition by Novartis for $1.5 billion in under six years. She now continues that work at Beacon Therapeutics, developing gene therapy treatments for retinal disease.
-
PhD, University of Cambridge
-
Executive Director of Research, Beacon Therapeutics
-
Early employee, Gyroscope Therapeutics — acquired by Novartis for $1.5 billion
-
Expertise spanning gene therapy, immunology, and ocular disease
Practical details
This online Ednova programme consists of three live, interactive sessions of 90 minutes each (4.5 hours in total), designed for students in Years 10–13. All you need is a device (laptop, tablet, or desktop), a stable internet connection, and a quiet space to participate. No prior knowledge of advanced therapies is required.
Cancellation policy
Refunds are provided as follows: a full refund (minus any payment processing fees) if cancelled more than 14 days before the programme start date; a 50% refund if cancelled between 7 and 14 days before; and no refund if cancelled fewer than 7 days before. For the full cancellation policy, please refer to our Terms and Conditions.