Molecular Oncogenesis
Theory: 3 hours/week | ECTS Units: 3
Tutoring in the English language is offered to Erasmus students
Learning outcomes
The course aims to educate students on the latest trends in molecular oncogenesis with the ultimate goal of creating competitive bioscientists specializing in the most modern research trends in the field such as cancer stem cells, immunoaversion and tumor curation, the microenvironment of neoplasia and molecular diagnostic and personalized treatment of the patient.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- know the modern milestones of carcinogenesis and the mechanisms that control them at the molecular level
- correlate the causes of genomic instability with tumour cell heterogeneity and disease progression
- be introduced to the cancer microenvironment and the concept of cancer immunoavoidance and diligence
- link molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis with new, personalized diagnostic and therapeutic approaches
Syllabus
- Introduction to molecular oncogenesis, updated cancer milestones, basic principles of epidemiology of individual forms of the disease.
- Molecular cancer signaling, cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, dysregulation of molecular control mechanisms in the cancer cell cycle, dysregulated centrioles and cancer aneuploidies
- Repair mechanisms in the cancer genome, tumor suppression, p53 and induction of apoptosis
- Tumour genomic instability and neoplasia microevolution, clonal subpopulations and interactions between them, treatment and selection
- Cancer stem cells and epigenetics of the cancer genome
- From- and metadifferentiation, introduction to the concept of metaplasia
- Cancer metabolism, anabolic pathways and biosynthesis in cancer cells, hypoxia signaling
- The microenvironment of neoplasia, molecular mechanisms of immunosurveillance, avoidance and diligence by cancer cells
- Neo-angiogenesis, EMT and lymphatic infiltration
- Molecular mechanisms of migration and establishment of metastatic cells, metastatic lethargy and microfoci
- Molecular diagnostics, clinomic and personalized treatment in cancer
Student performance evaluation
Performance in the course is assessed on the basis of the written examination of the theoretical part during the examination period (100%). The total of correct answers corresponds to 100 points, which is reduced to a grade of 10. Based on this reduction, the grade of each student in the final examination of the course is calculated.
The written examination includes:
- questions of free development and graded difficulty (60 credits)
- targeted questions requiring short and accurate answers (30 credits)
- sentences that the student must decide if they are right or wrong (10 credits)
For students with learning disabilities there is provision for a blended examination method.
Suggested bibliography
- Molecular and Cell biology of Cancer, 2019, (ISBN 9783030118129)
- The Molecular Basis of Human Cancer, 2017, (ISBN 9781597454582)
- Molecular diagnostics in Cancer, 2019, (ISBN 9789811358777)
Teaching Material / E-class
Lecturer
