Cancer Immunotherapy: a Step Change in Cancer Treatment (FutureLearn)

Cancer Immunotherapy: a Step Change in Cancer Treatment (FutureLearn)

This course will teach you about the power of your immune system and how new immunotherapies are transforming cancer treatment.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Over 12 million people die of cancer worldwide each year. Although treatments are improving, there is still a long way to go, and some cancers are still very difficult to treat. Consequently, there is a desperate need for new treatment approaches.

Learn about the rise of immunotherapy
The idea of harnessing your immune system to target tumours has been around for a long time, but in the last five years remarkable clinical trials results have led to immunotherapy being heralded as a potential turning point in the fight against cancer.
This free online course will teach you about the amazing job your immune system does in keeping you healthy, and how we can exploit it to fight cancer.

Understand how immunotherapy is starting to tackle cancer
We will explain why cancer presents the immune system with a particularly difficult challenge, and how cancer cells can escape immune attack.
You will learn how new immunotherapy strategies are transforming cancer treatment work, and why they are regarded as such a key breakthrough.
Finally, we will look ahead to new developments in cancer immunotherapy, which might provide the basis of tomorrow’s cancer treatments.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Disease (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Disease (Coursera)

This course aims to provide current understanding about extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their role in health and diseases. The EVs are known to be involved in cell to cell communication. Apart from maintaining normal cell physiology, EVs deliver messages that can drive or influence the progression of a disease. This course discusses recent advances made in the field to give an introduction on their function in health as well as in disease.

Oct 19th 2026
4 Weeks
Allergies: When the Immune System Backfires (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Basel

Allergies: When the Immune System Backfires (FutureLearn)

What do allergies reveal about our immune system's capabilities? Learn more about allergy symptoms and treatments on this course. Discover how different allergies are understood, diagnosed, and treated today.The human immune system is designed to fight infection, but sometimes this defence mechanism provokes allergic disorders. On this course, you will explore the similarities and differences of infections and allergies, and understand the intricacies of the immune system.

Available now
3 Weeks
Agriculture and Nutrition (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Taipei Medical University

Agriculture and Nutrition (FutureLearn)

The benefits of rice bran for preventing chronic diseases; the relationships of the mammary gland, and immune in cow. In this course, you will learn about the bioactive components and the benefits of rice bran and fermented rice bran for preventing chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome. You will learn about the basic knowledge of the immune system and the correlations among mammary gland, epithelial mucosa, and immune in the dairy cows.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Stories of Infection (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Stories of Infection (Coursera)

This course introduces learners to a variety of infectious diseases using a patient-centered, story-based approach. Through illustrated, short videos, learners will follow the course of each patient’s illness, from initial presentation to resolution. Integrating the relevant microbiology, pathophysiology and immunology, this course aims to engage and entice the learner towards future studies in microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Transmitting and Fighting Infection (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Transmitting and Fighting Infection (FutureLearn)

Learn how pathogens cause infectious diseases, how these diseases are transmitted and how our immune system respond to infection. Most of us have experienced common diseases like flu or less common ones like pneumonia. On this course, you’ll learn how pathogens cause infectious diseases and how these diseases are transmitted. You’ll examine the bacterial resistance to antibiotics, how this leads to serious infections like MRSA and reflect on approaches to address this problem.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Demystifying Targeted Cancer Treatments (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Cancer Research UK

Demystifying Targeted Cancer Treatments (FutureLearn)

Discover the science behind targeted cancer treatments on this free course designed for clinical research and oncology nurses. Deepen your understanding and improve communication with patients & colleagues. Thanks to ground-breaking research over the past 20 years, new, more targeted treatments have been developed that are changing the way we treat cancer, and providing new hope for patients. Join us and discover the science behind these treatments and learn through quizzes, interviews, articles and patient case studies.

Jan 24th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care (Coursera)

This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients back to health, after cancer.

Oct 22nd 2026
1 Week
Talking About Cancer: Reducing Risk, Early Detection and Mythbusting (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Cancer Research UK

Talking About Cancer: Reducing Risk, Early Detection and Mythbusting (FutureLearn)

Learn from experts at Cancer Research UK about how you could save lives by talking about cancer prevention and early detection. Learn how to talk about cancer risk reduction and spotting cancer early. 1 in 2 people will develop cancer in their lifetime. Talking about how to reduce the risk of cancer and the importance of early detection isn’t always easy, but it can make a real difference to peoples’ health. You might be worried you’ll say the wrong thing or that you simply don’t know enough about the subject. Our Cancer Research UK experts are here to help.

Apr 5th 2021
3 Weeks
Genomics in the NHS: A Clinician's Guide to Genomic Testing for Cancer (Solid Tumours) (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Health Education England

Genomics in the NHS: A Clinician's Guide to Genomic Testing for Cancer (Solid Tumours) (FutureLearn)

Elevate your clinical career by developing your understanding of cancer genomic testing and how to support tests in the NHS. On this two-week course from NHS England, you’ll develop an understanding of the different types of genomic testing for solid tumours – from single gene tests to whole genome sequencing – and walk through the application of this testing in clinical practice.

Jan 22nd 2024
2 Weeks
Introduction to Breast Cancer (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

Introduction to Breast Cancer (Coursera)

Welcome to an Introduction to Breast Cancer! In this course, we’ll learn a bit about the leading cause of cancer in women worldwide – from the basic biology of the disease, to risk factors and prevention, to treatment modalities to survivorship. We’ll talk to leading experts, explore some of the milestone studies that have pushed this field forward, and have interactive discussions on discussion boards and social media. You’ll even have an opportunity to let us know what topics you want to cover on tweetchats, so we can try to make the content fit your interests.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn)

Explore how the unravelling of genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of genetic diseases and cancer. It’s widely known that some diseases run in families. The discovery of the structure of DNA and the unravelling of the genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of such diseases. We now know more about the genetic basis of cancer and how cancer cells are formed and reproduce. On this course you’ll explore the structure of DNA, its processes and learn how genetic disease results from DNA alterations.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Disease Screening in Public Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

Disease Screening in Public Health (Coursera)

Current and future public health is characterized by the increase of chronic and degenerative diseases, corresponding to the worldwide ageing of the population. The increasing prevalence of these conditions together with the long incubation period of the chronic diseases and the restless technological innovations, offer new opportunities to develop strategies for early diagnosis.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks