The ULLA Summer School Leiden 2024 took place at the LACDR, Leiden University, from June 29 to July 6.
200 PhD students from institutes and faculties of pharmaceutical sciences from the universities of Uppsala, London, Leiden, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, Parma, Leuven, Helsinki, and Geneva have attended the Summer School. Approximately 50 teachers from these universities have provided a course.
The theme of the Summer School was 'Shaping the future of drug research: from design to therapy'.
Rik Gijsbers provided a full day course on 'Viral vectors: turning infectious viruses into efficient vehicles to halt and cure genetic disorders'. Gene therapy has become a transformative reality in healthcare, offering a promising solution for inherited, previously incurable disorders. In this lecture, we delved into the technological advancements driving the gene therapy revolution, explore pivotal discoveries, discuss critical challenges in manufacturing, biosafety, and ethics.