Teaching plan for the course unit

 

 
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General information

 

Course unit name: Cancer Biology

Course unit code: 365386

Academic year: 2020-2021

Coordinator: Montserrat Corominas Guiu

Department: Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics

Credits: 6

Single program: S

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

49
 

-  Lecture

Face-to-face and online

  

21
 

-  Group tutorial

Online

  

3
 

-  Problem-solving class

Face-to-face and online

  

21
 

-  Seminar

Face-to-face and online

  

4

Supervised project

51

Independent learning

50

 

 

Competences to be gained during study

 

   -

CG6. Communication skills (written and spoken).
   -

CG2. Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis and synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply knowledge in practice, and capacity to take decisions and adapt to new situations).
   -

CB3. Ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within the field of study) to inform judgements that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.
   -

CE16. Capacity to provide reasoned explanations of the concept and general characteristics of disease, the mechanisms through which diseases develop, the personal and constitutional aspects of pathological reactions, the different types of diseases, the respective mechanisms of distribution, and the dynamic structure of different diseases, and a familiarity with the principal methods for the study and diagnosis of diseases, including epidemiology

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

This course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of mechanisms leading to cancer development.

— Recognise cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the origin and development of cancer.

— Describe the role of mutations and epigenetic modifications in tumour development and progression.

— Describe how hereditary and environmental factors influence the susceptibility to develop cancer.

— Describe the role of signal transduction pathways in tumour formation.

— Recognise cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, tumour dissemination and metastasis formation.

— Learn about the main pharmacological strategies for the treatment of cancer.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Cancer: basic concepts

*  Classification and nomenclature of tumours; Origins and development of tumours; Characteristics of cancer cells; Metastasis; Epigenetics and cancer; Cancer metabolism

2. Carcinogenesis

*  Chemical and radiation carcinogenesis; Action mechanisms; Viral carcinogenesis: retrovirus and DNA virus; Epidemiology of human cancer

3. Oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes

*  Concept of oncogene and activation mechanisms; Suppressor genes and inactivation mechanisms

4. Cell cycle and cancer

*  Promoting factors of cell cycle and its regulation; Monitoring systems of cell cycle (checkpoints)

5. Cell signalling and cancer

*  Growth factors, receptors and signal transduction pathways; Transcription factors; Alterations in cancer cell

6. Apoptosis and cancer

*  Pathways of apoptosis: extrinsic and intrinsic pathways; Pathway interconnection; Apoptosis alteration in cancer cells; Suppressor genes involved

7. Oncogenic cooperation and multiphasic tumorigenesis

*  Correlation between gene mutation and the different stages of tumour development; Different cancer progression models

8. Familial cancers

*  Tumour suppressor genes involved in DNA repair; Lynch syndrome (HNPCC); Retinoblastoma; Wilms tumor; Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP); Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN2A and MEN2B); Breast cancer

9. Angiogenesis

*  Mechanisms; Angiogenesis inhibitors and stimulators; The role of macrophages and endothelial cells

10. Metastasis

*  Cancer invasion; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Genetic control of cancer metastasis; Metabolic changes in hosts

11. Cancer therapy

*  Classic and emerging therapies: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and new strategies based on molecular knowledge; Resistance mechanisms

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

This academic year, the course is taught in a compacted form and active learning methodologies are used combined with face-to-face and online activities:

  • Lectures or theory sessions. In face-to-face or distance learning mode.
  • Online seminars led by experts in cancer.
  • Problem-solving sessions: discussion of problems related to cancer. In face-to-face or distance learning mode.
  • Online tutorial sessions.
  • Flipped classroom and problem-based learning.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment includes the following activities:

  • Tasks (set of activities available online and carried out outside the classroom). Weighting: 20%.
  • Problem-solving sessions and seminars. Credit will be given for understanding and participation, given that the students will have previously selected and studied the topic that is the subject of the discussion. Weighting: 20%.
  • Final examination: written examination with 20 multiple-choice questions (2 points) and two short-answer questions (4 points). Short-answer questions must be passed to be eligible for weighting. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. Weighting: 60%.

 

Examination-based assessment

Single assessment consists of a written examination with 30 multiple-choice questions (4 points) and three short-answer questions (6 points). Short-answer questions must be passed to be eligible for weighting. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. Weighting: 100%.

The repeat assessment examination is the same as that for single assessment.