Spring 2009
BISC 499 Special Topics (4 units)
“Biology of Cancer”
Instructors:
Oscar M Aparicio, Ph.D.
Office: RRI 219B
Office Hours: by appt
Office Phone: 213.821.1269
E-mail: oaparici@usc.edu
Susan L. Forsburg Ph.D.
Office: RRI 104C
Office Hours: by appt
Office Phone: 213.740.7342
E-mail: forsburg@usc.edu
John Tower, PhD
Office RRI 219C
Office hours
Office phone 213.740.5384
email jtower@usc.edu
Meeting times:
Weekly 3:00PM - 6:00PM, day TBD venue TBD
Overview and Course Content:
This is a literature-based seminar course, designed to introduce graduate students and advanced undergraduates to topics in cancer
biology by combining lectures with a close reading of primary literature. Students gain an in-depth appreciation of the field of cancer
biology by reading and evaluating current research papers, and honing their critical skills by discussion. The class will meet once a
week in an extended session. The first half of class will consist of a lecture by the instructor discussing the week’s topic, followed by
student-lead discussion of 1-2 relevant primary research papers. At the first class session, students will sign up for presentation dates.
Additionally, all students are expected to participate vigorously in discussion.
Presentations: The course will be taught in part as a literature seminar. Each student will be responsible for reading and presenting
at least one paper to the class relevant to that week’s topic. (Non-presenting students are also expected to have read the paper).
Presenters will choose a paper from the current literature and obtain faculty approval for their choice at least 5 days in advance.
Presenters are required to meet with faculty prior to class meeting to go over their presentation. The presentation will include several
components:
A description of the state of the field relevant to the paper,
The question(s) addressed by the paper and Experimental methodology, data, and conclusions,
A critique: what are the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, what questions remain?
Seminars: One class meeting will consist of a research seminar presentation by an invited faculty member from UPC or Norris
Cancer Center who is conducting cancer research, so that the students can experience the unfolding nature of active research outside
the context of a paper. This will be followed by a discussion. This will be scheduled depending on our guest’s availability and
research area to coordinate with appropriate class topics.
Prerequisites:
Biology/Biochemistry majors, or graduate students enrolled in biological sciences
Permission of instructor. Contact Prof Forsburg for questionnaire. Registration is limited to 20 students
Familiarity with core genetics and molecular biology is assumed.
Web Site: Course materials and communication will be provided on Blackboard
Text: The Biology of Cancer (1e) by Robert Weinberg, Garland Science
Course Credit: Graded
Presentation
30%
Participation
20%
Midterm
25%
Final (non-cumulative)
25%
Course Policies: Any questions or concerns regarding these policies should be addressed to faculty.
Presentation dates are firm. There are no makeup exams or presentations in the course, so choose your dates wisely!
Participation is essential. You must be an active participant in all discussions to get full credit, meaning you must read all assigned
papers and be prepared to present and discuss when called upon. Therefore, you must attend all classes. Points lost from missing
participation may be replaced by an appropriate assignment if an excuse considered valid by faculty is presented in a timely fashion.
All absences require acceptable written excuse or documentation. No additional assignments for extra credit are permitted.
The final will not be returned but will be retained for one semester by the faculty.
Disability: Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and
Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate
documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the faculty as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open Mon-Fri,
8:30-5:00. The office is in Student Union 301 and their phone number is 740-0776.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the
intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and
the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own.
All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct
Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and
Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at:
http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.
It may be necessary to make adjustments to the syllabus during the semester. Check the course web site or class announcements for
updates.
Week
Class
date
1
SLF
2
SLF
3
SLF
4
SLF
5
SLF
6
staff
7
OMA
8
OMA
9
10
OMA
11
OMA
12
JT
13
JT
14
JT
15
JT
Topic
Scheduled Student
Presentations: TBD
Introduction to class, structure, reading Sign up for presentations
Cancer overview, two step model
Chapter 2
Tumor viruses and oncogenes
Chapter 3, 4
Growth factors and receptors
chapter 5, 6
Tumor suppressors, LOH
Chapter 7
Epigenetics
Outside reading: Lafon Hughes et al, Chromatin-remodelling mechanisms in cancer.
Mutat Res 2008 Mar-Apr;658(3):191-214.
SEMINAR: Outside speaker
Cell Cycle control, I: CDKs
Chapter 8
Cell Cycle control, II: ubiquitylation and degradation
Outside reading
MIDTERM
SPRING BREAK 16-21 March
Mutagenesis and repair
Chapter 2, Chapter 12
Checkpoints and genome stabitiliy, I
Chapter 12
p53 apoptosis
Chapter 9
Cancer stem cells
Outside reading: FEinberg et al, The epigenetic progenitor origin of human cancer.
Nat Rev Genet. 2006 Jan;7(1):21-33. Review.
Telomeres & senescence
Chapter 10
Warburg effect & cancer cell metabolism
Outside reading
FINAL
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