HMX Pro Genetics
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
Advance your career with a Harvard Medical School certificate – online.
“I found the visualization and explanation really helpful.”
Pi-Chuan Chang
Google Health
Even with the thousands of approved small molecule drugs at our disposal, there remains a lack of effective prevention and treatment for many diseases. Fortunately, a new and exciting drug modality has emerged called nucleic acid therapeutics that has the potential to address current unmet needs.
This class of drugs uses nucleic acids and closely related compounds for a variety of applications, including regulating gene expression, stimulating the immune system, editing the genome, or supplying new genetic information, with the goal of treating or preventing disease. Thus, learning about nucleic acid therapeutics has important implications for anyone working in health care and related sectors.
HMX Pro Genetics – Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is a unique online certificate course led by Harvard Medical School faculty. It covers nucleic acid therapeutics and the advances in this field that have the potential to treat, prevent, and even cure genetic diseases through engaging self-paced lessons.
Get more information on this exciting learning opportunity:
Course Information
Upcoming course periods
April 15 – June 27, 2025 | Apply now through April 8 for Pro courses
June 3 – August 15, 2025 | Application opens March 26
September 2 – November 14, 2025 | Application opens May 14
Course length
The course period is 10 weeks long. New lessons are released weekly, and material remains available until the course closes. Expect to spend a total of 15-20 hours for this course.
Course cost
US$995 for an individual course
Think others at your company would be interested? We offer group discounts and direct enrollment options – contact us to learn more.
Course Topics
Overview of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
- What are Nucleic Acid Therapeutics?
- The Promise of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
- Nucleic Acid Immunity and Delivery Challenges
Removing or Modifying Endogenous Information
- Removing Endogenous Information
- ASO Gapmer Therapeutics
- siRNA Therapeutics
- Modifying Endogenous Information
- ASO Steric Blockers for Exon Inclusion
- ASO Steric Blockers for Exon Exclusion
- Clinical Linkage: Treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy with ASOs
Supplying New Information
- Introduction to mRNA Medicines
- Interactive: Developing mRNA Medicines
- mRNA Challenges
- In Focus: What is a Vector?
- mRNA Vaccines
- mRNA Therapeutic Vaccines
- mRNA Therapeutics
- Immunostimulatory Nucleic Acids
- Deep Dive: The Immunostimulatory Effects of mRNA Medicines
- Clinical Linkage: Nucleic Acid-Based Immunotherapy for Melanoma
Permanent Genetic Modifications
- Introduction to Gene Editing
- Gene Editing Considerations
- Gene Editing to Make Deletions
- Templated Modifications
- Base Editing
- Prime Editing
- Clinical Linkage: Treating Sickle Cell Disease with Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
Wrap-up
- The Future of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
More Information
Frequently asked questions
Who should take this course?
This course is appropriate for science, business and medical professionals whose work intersects with cancer research and treatment – those in R&D, product management, sales, marketing, and more will benefit from understanding this emerging topic.
What do participants need to know to succeed in this course?
We recommend knowledge of basic chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as knowledge of the fundamentals of genetics. This is an advanced course; for those who require more background in key genetics concepts, we offer HMX Pro Genetics – Essentials.
What is the time commitment?
Most people can expect to spend around 15–20 hours total, but this depends on your baseline knowledge, how carefully you take notes, and how seriously you take the assessments. Lessons from the courses are released weekly and remain available until the courses end, so you can work at your own pace. There is a final exam at the end of each course that can be taken any time during the final exam period.
Can participants earn certificates from Harvard Medical School?
There are two certification levels, based on participant scores:
- Certificate of Achievement
- Certificate of Completion
HMX Learner Testimonials
Siyan Xu
Biostatistician, Novartis
“I’ve found all the courses to be tremendously helpful.”
Mariam Fida
Medical geneticist
“It was amazing the way all the animations were conducted, and how they show concepts in a very basic, nice way.”
Eugenia Prohin
Clinical operations manager
“Everybody involved in clinical research would benefit from these courses.”
Matthew Tagliaferro
Account executive, Ambry Genetics
“Being able to hear from the doctors and clinicians themselves about the different treatments and disease states, I think it gives such a good perspective.”