Biotech Classes at Stanford
Kevin Ho, MBA student at the GSB and our board member, has put together this guide to biotech resources at Stanford. In part one of this two-part guide, Kevin shares biotech coursework that you can take at Stanford. An updated version of this guide is always available on our website resources tab.
Kevin Ho, MBA Student, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, just a few miles away from the birthplace of biotechnology. The university is home to perhaps the world’s most dynamic biotech ecosystem: (1) renowned scientists who have made groundbreaking discoveries, developed life saving drugs and diagnostics, and started billion dollar companies; (2) a medical school and world class hospital, where innovative products are tested and used to save lives; and (3) an entrepreneurial spirit embodied in the hustle of students across academic disciplines.
However, it can be easy to feel lost when you first arrive on campus. There are so many resources and opportunities available, but they can be hard to discover and understand. If you’re relatively new to biotech and interested in learning more, where do you even start?
This guide is meant to help you navigate a university that has it all. It walks through useful classes across campus, activities and student organizations, and external resources to explore. It’s written from an MBA’s perspective, but will be useful for anyone at Stanford interested in exploring biotechnology and looking for a place to start.
Classes
There seems to be a class at Stanford for everything. Classes can be invaluable (something that a business student needs reminding of every once in a while):
They build foundational understanding by presenting lots of information in a well structured manner.
They place you under the wings of professors and lecturers who know the subject matter well, are extremely connected, and care deeply for their students.
Often (especially at Stanford), they are supplemented by a who’s who of guest speakers. It is difficult to get access to many of these guests outside the context of these classes.
Below, I lay out several of the classes that have been most helpful for me in understanding the biotech industry, as well as some of the most applicable science classes to consider.
Chemical and Systems Biology
This department is about understanding how biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology fit within an organism as a whole - the entire system. Beyond that, it is home to several incredible classes that teach the ins and outs of an even bigger system: the biotech industry as a whole.
CSB 240A and B: A Practical Approach to Drug Discovery and Development (W + S)
A two-quarter, team-based class that takes you through the basic steps of drug R&D and commercialization. Each team selects an indication within a broad disease area that changes from year to year (my year, the disease area was “disorders of pregnancy” and my team’s indication was “implantation failure”). You bring a fictitious drug from discovery of the therapeutic target to clinical trials, financing, and beyond. The professors (Kevin Grimes and Daria Mochly-Rosen) and guests provide patient, pointed feedback and give lots of great advice.
CSB 243: Biotechnology and Development of Therapeutics (A, 1-2 units)
Taught/moderated by Ryan Watts, founder/CEO of Denali Therapeutics, and Rami Hannoush, former senior scientist at Genentech and now a partner at Mubadala, who bring in former / current colleagues to introduce each of the major functions (e.g., discovery, toxicology, program management, business development, clinical development, manufacturing, marketing) within a biopharma company. Ryan and Rami are awesome, and you really learn from the best.
CSB 245: Economics of Biotechnology (S, 2 units)
Leon Chen, a partner at The Column Group, and Kevin Grimes (mentioned above) teach this course. With the help of some amazing guest speakers, he provides context for the biotech ecosystem as a whole. Topics range from policy to pricing, from regulatory to capital markets. The course covers large companies, small biotechs, hedge funds, and venture capital. A great big picture view of the industry.
The GSB
Given how significant (and growing) biotech is as an industry, it is surprisingly poorly represented in the business school curriculum. That said, there are a few classes that provide relevant lessons. Note: many of the most popular GSB classes are not accessible to the rest of the Stanford student body, as GSB students get preference over non-GSB students, and space is limited. If you’re a GSB student, great! If not, it’s still worthwhile to try meeting the professors who teach these classes.
GSBGEN 551: Innovation and Management in Health Care (W, 2 units)
An introduction to the US healthcare system as a whole. Each class introduces one part of the system via a case and guest speaker, and is followed by lunch with that guest speaker. Taught by Rob Chess, Chairman of Nektar Therapeutics and a generally awesome guy. Bruce Cozadd (CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals) comes in every year.
OIT 384/385: Biodesign Innovation (W + S, 4 units each quarter)
A two-quarter class similar to CSB 240, but for medical devices. Teams of MBAs, engineers, and medical residents work to understand an area of need (mine was “hypertension”) and prototype a medical device to address that need. Along the way, students learn about design thinking and regulation, IP, payment, etc. in the medical device industry. Excellent teaching, guest speakers, and feedback/advice. Requires an application (to be submitted during fall quarter).
Science
For those of you with a non-science background (or only an undergrad science background), it could be useful to refresh your understanding (or, if you’re me, learn it from scratch). Stanford has seemingly thousands of relevant classes to choose from. Here are a few to start with.
IMMUNOL 200: Cellular and Molecular Immunology (A, 4 units)
So much of today’s biotech industry revolves around utilizing our own immune systems against disease that some primer on immunology is essential if it’s not already in your toolkit. This class provides such an intro. A real spectacular class, taught by a team of professors and TAs who specialize across different aspects of immunology. Quite technical, and a lot to remember. Insanely useful.
GENE 271: Human Molecular Genetics (A, 4 units)
An advanced beginner’s introduction to genetics. Covers gene structure and function, mutation, GWAS and sequencing technologies, stem cell biology, and gene therapies.
GENE 247: Genomic approaches to the study of human disease (W, 3 units)
Builds on the basics of genetics with more advanced discussion of applications. More importantly, this course taught me how to critically read and analyze scientific journal articles.
CBIO 242: Cellular and Clinical Aspects of Cancer (S, 4 units)
A broad overview of the cellular biology of cancer - covers tumor angiogenesis, metabolism, and immunology, as well as clinical oncology and therapeutics, with an emphasis on key experiments and discoveries. Includes a weekly journal club and final project pitch.
CBIO 275: Tumor Immunology (S, 3 units)
Dives deep into one of the hottest / deepest / broadest topics in biotech today. Focuses on how tumors avoid / subvert the immune system, what our immune systems do to eliminate tumors, and how immunotherapy has developed in recent years. Taught by Ed Engleman and Ansu Satpathy, both professors with experience in the biotech industry.
BIO 267: Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Disease (W)
An overview of the main neurodegenerative diseases from a biological and clinical perspective. Class integrates lectures by Stanford professors with clinical perspectives from guest neurologists as well as patients enrolled in clinical trials. Neurodegenerative disorders are a huge unmet need and the class taught me how complex they can be to treat, in terms of both unknown biology and diagnosis/patient care.
CHEM 281: Therapeutic Science at the Chemistry-Biology Interface (S, 3 units)
A highly technical but great overview of what it takes to develop a drug, from idea in a lab to commercialized product. Great backstories on some of the most notable drugs and emerging modalities (covers small molecules, biologics, glycoscience, cell-based medicines). Taught by Carolyn Bertozzi, a superstar scientist, head of ChEM-H, and scientific founder of several therapeutics startups.
BIO 214: Advanced Cell Biology (W, 4 units)
Other classes
INDE 209: Analysis of Public Companies in the Life Sciences (A, 2 units)
A student-led class that teaches valuation of publicly traded life science companies. You learn how to be an amateur biotech hedge fund manager. Teaches scientists how to value companies; teaches MBAs how to do scientific diligence.
Independent studies (e.g., GSBGEN 390, if you’re in the GSB) (any quarter, 1-4 units)
Stanford is a great place to do independent studies. This entails working under the guidance of a professor to study just about any area you find interesting. This is largely self-directed - you figure out what to read, who to interview/consult, how often to meet with your professor, and what format to distill your findings into. It’s a great opportunity to learn about something that you’re passionate about and/or meet the movers and shakers (just reach out to them!) in a field you might want to work in. Personally, I’ve done a couple of studies on (1) challenges to commercializing academic discoveries, (2) what ingredients go into a high-functioning biotech innovation ecosystem, and (3) what it will take to have widely accessible cancer therapeutics in sub-Saharan Africa.
CS 271: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (A, 3-4 units)
STEMREM 203: Stem Cells Immersion: Applications in Medicine, Business and Law (A, W, S, 3 units)
GENE 229: How We Age (W, 2-3 units)
GENE 225: Healthcare Venture Capital (S, 2-3 units)
HRP 209: Health Law: The FDA (S)
HRP 249: Topics in Health Economics I (S, 3-5 units)
HRP 391: Health Law: Finance and Insurance (W, 3 units)
Notes
Biotechnology is an extremely broad term that, technically, encompasses any technology involving biology. The scope of this document is much narrower than that. It is primarily focused on therapeutics, with some bleeding over into diagnostics and medical devices. Unfortunately, it does not cover synthetic biology, plant biology, or other forms of biotechnology.
Feel free to reach out (kevin.ho45@gmail.com or kevho@stanford.edu) with comments or questions.
Contributors
Joel Bateman (MBA 2023)
Sai Gourisankar (PhD 2023)
Kevin Ho (MBA 2021)
Bri McIntosh (PhD Student)
Anica Oesterle (MBA 2022)
Egan Peltan (PhD Student)
About the author
Kevin Ho
Kevin is a second-year MBA student at the GSB. Prior to Stanford, he studied Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University, where he also completed an MPH degree in Health Policy. Kevin previously worked in management consulting at Bain & Co., where he focused on technology, private equity, and healthcare clients. Most recently, he spent several years working in global health, first in vaccine access with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and later in maternal and child health policy at Gates Ventures.
