Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Johns Hopkins Intersession Course The Biology of Cancer Metastasis Course Number: AS.020.246.13 Credits: 1 January 9-27, 2017 Class hours: MWF 1-2:45 PM (Except January 23) Instructor: Kenneth C. Valkenburg, Ph.D. Instructor email: [email protected] Description The Biology of Cancer Metastasis is a course that covers the basic biological tenets and theories of how cancer forms and advances and how cancer spreads – or metastasizes – throughout the body and causes the demise of cancer patients. In particular, we will cover the steps of metastasis, the routes of cancer spread, the homing of cancer cells to specific secondary sites in the body, and various treatment strategies for metastatic cancer. Objectives At the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Understand the basic concept of normal cells turning into cancerous cells. 2. Understand the Hallmarks of Cancer. 3. Describe the steps of cancer metastasis. 4. Apply information gained in this course to understand the basics of any individual cancer type. 5. Describe cancer cell homing. 6. Differentiate between dissemination and metastasis. 7. Understand how cancer is diagnosed, staged, and treated. 8. Describe some of the hottest current topics in cancer research. Grading This course is scored on a pass/fail scale. Students will receive a passing grade if they attend every class listed in the outline below and satisfactorily complete the three (3) assignments. Students will receive a failing grade if they do not attend every class listed in the outline below or if they do not complete all three (3) assignments. Please contact the instructor in the case of an emergency or special circumstances. Outline Class 1: Monday, January 9th Basic concepts of cellular and molecular biology that are pertinent to the understanding of cancer biology and metastasis. Class 2: Wednesday, January 11th Hallmarks of Cancer, 1-5: 1. Sustaining proliferative signaling 2. Evading growth suppressors 3. Enabling replicative immortality 4. Resisting cell death 5. Genome instability and mutation (add epigenetics) Introduce Assignment 1: Hallmarks and Pathways (due January 16th) Class 3: Friday, January 13th Hallmarks of Cancer 6-10: 6. Deregulating cellular energetics 7. Inducing angiogenesis 8. Activating invasion and metastasis 9. Tumor-promoting inflammation 10. Avoiding immune destruction Class 4: Monday, January 16th Follow a single cell from its “birth” in a primary tumor to its growth into a secondary tumor to causing the death of the person in which it is growing. Today: primary tumor to circulation a. Primary tumor growth b. Neoangiogenesis c. EMT d. Invasion e. Intravasation Assignment 1 DUE today! Introduce Assignment 2: Pick a Cancer (due January 20th) Class 5: Wednesday, January 18th Circulation to metastatic lesion and death f. Survival in circulation g. Extravasation h. Dormancy i. Secondary tumor growth a. Cancer types and metastatic homing j. Death Class 6: Friday, January 20th Cancer diagnosis and staging Assignment 2 DUE today! Introduce Assignment 3: Essay or Presentation (presentations on January 25th and 27th; essays due January 27th) Class 7: Wednesday, January 25th o Cancer therapy o Drug discovery o Clinical trials Assignment 3 presentations (day 1) Class 8: Friday, January 27th Hot topics and big questions in cancer research Assignment 3 presentations (day 2) Final day to turn in Assignment 3 essays!