Module Code - Title:
BY4038
-
CANCER MECHANISMS, THERAPEUTICS AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
Year Last Offered:
2025/6
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
There have been considerable developments in our knowledge of the cellular and molecular basis of cancer and other diseases. These developments have hastened the advent of the new discipline of molecular medicine. This module presents recent developments in our understanding of cell cycle controls in relation to cancer biology as well as new developments in Bioscience which allow the targeting of cellular and molecular pathways involved in disease. The module will present the theoretical and practical aspects of modern molecular technologies as applied to cancer and other human diseases.
Syllabus:
Molecular pathology of cancer and some inherited human diseases; molecular changes during the transformation of normal cells to malignant cells; control of the cell cycle and alterations in cell cycle checkpoints in cancer cells; oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes; the process of tumour initiation and progression, apoptosis, angiogenesis and metastasis; genomic alterations in molecular genetic disease and describe the identification of specific disease related genes;
molecular drug targets in cancer; cancer vaccines; signal transduction as a therapeutic target; Anti-cancer drug target discovery; monolconal antibodies and chimeric antigen receptors as therapeutic agents; tissue engineering and nanomedicine.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
Students will comprehend the concept of cancer as a genetic disease and how the onset of cancer is a multi-step process. Students will be able to evaluate the use of cellular and molecular techniques in understanding the cell and molecular biology of specific disease processes.
Appreciate the complex factors regulating cell division and understand how new molecular approaches can be applied to elucidate disease pathogenesis. Understand how how developments in Bioscience can increase the therpaeutic possibilities in cancer and other important human diseases.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
Appreciate the potential role of Bioscience in new developments in molecular medicine.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
The module is delivered by a combination of lecture and laboratory experiments. Students are exposed to the latest cellular and molecular approaches to cancer diagnosis and therapies. Recent developments in cell biology, molecular biology and molecular medicine will be incorporated in the curriculum.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
()
This module will utilize primary literature as the main basis of acquisition of new knowledge. This will primarily come from journals such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Medicine, Science, Nature, Cell series, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery and other Nat Reviews, Trends in Molecular Medicine.
,
Pecorino, L. (2016)
Molecular Biology of Cancer
Mechanisms, Targets, and Therapeutics (4th Ed)
, Oxford University Press
Weinberg, R.A. (2014)
The Biology of Cancer (2nd ed)
, Garland Science
Other Relevant Texts:
Strachan, T., Goodship, J. and Chinnery P. (2022)
Genetics and Genomics in Medicine (2nd ed)
, Garland Science
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Spring
Module Leader:
james.brown@ul.ie