Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
This professional diploma prepares you to understand marine venoms and toxins and their potential as a source of medical tools. You will study venomous sea animals such as cone snails, anemones and jellyfish, the toxins produced by microalgae and bacteria, their mechanisms of action on ion channels and receptors, venomics techniques and the long, demanding road that leads from a toxin to a medicine, without overlooking food safety and the clinical management of poisonings.
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What is the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use?
This professional diploma prepares you to understand marine venoms and toxins and their potential as a source of medical tools. You will study the venomous animals of the ocean, from cone snails, anemones and jellyfish to venomous fish and sea snakes, and the biotoxins produced by microalgae and bacteria. You will relate peptides, alkaloids and polyethers to their molecular targets, apply venomics, proteomics, mass spectrometry and electrophysiology, and assess how a toxin becomes a pharmacological tool, a diagnostic probe or a drug candidate, while also covering seafood biotoxins and the care of marine poisonings.
What sets this diploma apart: specialized science, bringing together the chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of marine toxins; a clear path from toxin to medicine, with real cases of drugs derived from marine venoms; current techniques such as venomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and electrophysiology; a safety perspective on food biotoxins and envenomations by marine animals; and a practical case in which you assess the medical potential of a specific toxin.
Program highlights
- Specialized science: the chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of marine toxins.
- From toxin to medicine: cases of drugs derived from marine venoms.
- Current techniques: venomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and electrophysiology.
- Mechanisms of action: ion channels, receptors and structure-function relationships.
- Safety perspective: food biotoxins and envenomations by marine animals.
- Practical case: an assessment of the medical potential of a specific toxin.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Venomous animals of the ocean
- 1.1. Venoms and toxins: key concepts
- 1.2. Cone snails
- 1.3. Anemones and corals
- 1.4. Jellyfish and box jellyfish
- 1.5. Venomous fish
- 1.6. Sea snakes
- 1.7. Octopuses and other cephalopods
- 1.8. Evolution of venoms
Toxins from microalgae and bacteria
- 2.1. Harmful algal blooms
- 2.2. Saxitoxins
- 2.3. Okadaic acid and its derivatives
- 2.4. Domoic acid
- 2.5. Ciguatoxins
- 2.6. Tetrodotoxin and the bacteria that produce it
- 2.7. Cyanobacterial toxins
- 2.8. Climate change and biotoxins
Chemistry and mechanisms of action
- 3.1. Toxic peptides and proteins
- 3.2. Marine alkaloids
- 3.3. Polyethers
- 3.4. Sodium channels
- 3.5. Calcium and potassium channels
- 3.6. Nicotinic receptors
- 3.7. Other molecular targets
- 3.8. Structure-function relationships
Venomics techniques
- 4.1. Obtaining venoms
- 4.2. Venom proteomics
- 4.3. Venom gland transcriptomics
- 4.4. Mass spectrometry
- 4.5. Chemical production of peptides
- 4.6. Recombinant expression
- 4.7. Electrophysiology
- 4.8. Toxin databases
From toxin to drug
- 5.1. Toxins as pharmacological tools
- 5.2. Approved drugs derived from venoms
- 5.3. Painkillers of marine origin
- 5.4. Candidates under research
- 5.5. Peptide stability and delivery
- 5.6. Toxicity and therapeutic window
- 5.7. Preclinical development
- 5.8. Regulatory challenges
Diagnostic and research applications
- 6.1. Toxins in neuroscience
- 6.2. Molecular probes
- 6.3. Imaging tools
- 6.4. Screening assays
- 6.5. Antibodies and antidotes
- 6.6. Toxin biosensors
- 6.7. Toxins in cancer research
- 6.8. Ethical use of animals
Biotoxins, food safety and clinical care
- 7.1. Shellfish poisoning
- 7.2. Ciguatera
- 7.3. Pufferfish poisoning
- 7.4. Biotoxin monitoring programs
- 7.5. Official methods of analysis
- 7.6. Stings and envenomations
- 7.7. First aid and treatment
- 7.8. Risk communication
Practical case: assessment of a marine toxin
- 8.1. Selecting the toxin
- 8.2. Scientific review
- 8.3. Chemical characterization
- 8.4. Mechanism of action
- 8.5. Therapeutic potential
- 8.6. Risks and limitations
- 8.7. Development plan
- 8.8. Presentation of the case
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Marine Venoms and Toxins for Medical Use
Yes. There are approved medicines inspired by marine venoms, and other candidates are still under research. The program studies both and explains why so few toxins reach the market.
No. The program is online and is based on data, protocols and published cases.
No. It provides scientific knowledge, but it does not replace official healthcare training. The clinical module explains how poisonings are managed, not how to practice medicine.
Yes. You study shellfish and fish biotoxins, official methods of analysis and biotoxin monitoring programs.
A scientific assessment of a specific marine toxin, from its chemistry and mechanism of action to its therapeutic potential, risks and a development plan.
Entirely online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with live sessions that are recorded and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The professional diploma is taught online and comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each, ending with a practical case in which you apply what you have learned to the assessment of a specific marine toxin.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at graduates in biology, pharmacy, medicine or biochemistry who wish to specialize in toxinology, pharmacology and neuroscience researchers, pharmaceutical industry professionals looking for new sources of bioactive peptides, food control technicians who monitor seafood biotoxins and healthcare professionals who treat marine poisonings. A degree in biology, pharmacy, medicine, biochemistry, veterinary science, marine sciences or a related field, or professional experience in biomedical research or food control, is recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.