Cancer biology and therapeutics

The aim of this unit is to introduce and develop your understanding of cancer biology, including the molecular mechanisms underpinning human cancers and targeted therapeutics used to treat patients with this disease.

Three main themes will be presented:

i) Major hallmarks of cancer (including immunology, metabolism, and cell biology),

ii) Genomic features of cancer (including tumour suppressors and oncogenes, molecular subtypes spanning genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic features),

iii) Targeted therapies in human cancer including personalised medicine.

Topics within these major themes will cover both basic research and clinical aspects.

The practical component of this unit will present you with the opportunity to interact with leading researchers in the cancer biology field, explore the important scientific and clinical issues associated with cancer research, extend your knowledge of the scientific literature, and increase your knowledge of translational research, involving clinical application of scientific discoveries. This unit will provide the high-level knowledge base and understanding required to generate cutting-edge research questions and undertake enquiry directed to answering that research question.