The course is designed to provide an overview of the molecular and cellular mechanism(s) of action (and resistance) of novel approaches to the clinical management of cancer, that are increasingly associated with, and in some case have replaced, conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Students will become familiar with inhibitors of kinases, endocrine, antiangiogenic and immunotherapeutic agents, as well as the very recent strategies based on engineering of autologous or allogeneic cells; they will learn about the experimental models and tools that lead to the discovery of new strategies and drug targets.
Course Prerequisites
To fully understand the topics addressed in the course, students should have basic notions of cellular biology and pathology and of general pharmacology.
Teaching Methods
The teaching activity consists of frontal lectures in the classroom with the support of power point slide presentations and scientific articles. Lecture slides will be made available to all students on the e-learning platform before each lesson. Lectures and the accompanying visual materials are the major source of information for the student. Thus, consistent attendance is recommended. Highly recommended reading: Hanahan D. Hallmarks of Cancer: New Dimensions. Cancer Discov. 2022; 12(1):31-46. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1059 Chen DS, Mellman I. Oncology meets immunology: the cancer-immunity cycle. Immunity. 2013;39(1):1-10. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2013.07.012
Assessment Methods
The learning outcomes will be assessed by a final oral exam consisting of three questions. The first will aim at discussing a general pharmacology content (inspired to the title of a lesson), to evaluate the student’s ability to organize the presentation of a general topic as well as the acquired knowledge. The second question will be on a specific druggable molecule/molecular pathway. The third question will regard immunotherapy approaches. The results of the exam will be out of thirty. The exam will be passed with a score of 18/30. Full marks (greater than 28/30), and possibly honors, will be awarded to students demonstrating to have acquired the knowledge on the subjects of the course and able to present the concepts clearly and with appropriate terminology.
Contents
The course will consist of lectures organized in two parts focused on: 1) an extensive introduction to anticancer therapies with a large overview encompassing the key aspects of antitumor pharmacology in a historical perspective that provides the ground to present the novel therapeutic strategies, 2) molecularly targeted agents and immunotherapy as well as new aspects of tumor biology that are expected to inform future therapies.
Course Language
English
More information
The teacher will receive the students upon appointment scheduled by e-mail.
