BY455/655 2013
CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF CANCER BY455/655
MWF from 9-10 AM, Room 344 Science Center
Professor Craig Woodworth
Office: 210 Science Center
Lab: 205 Science Center
Office hours: 8-11 AM on T,Th and 8-9 & 10-11AM on W,F
Tel: 268-2391
E-mail: woodworth@clarkson.edu
OVERVIEW: This course will focus on understanding the cell and molecular changes that lead to
human cancer. The reading will explore contemporary questions in cancer genetics, cancer prevention,
and new methods for diagnosis and therapy. The course will emphasize student interaction and
exploration of the scientific literature. Each student will have an opportunity to choose a current topic
in cancer biology, analyze a related journal article, and present the results in class during Journal Club.
There will be 3 semester exams and a cumulative final exam. Class attendance is mandatory.
OBJECTIVES:
1. In depth exploration of the cell and molecular biology of human cancer
2. Examine recent advances in cancer research
3. Understand the theory behind the important techniques in cancer research
4. Teach students how to explore the cancer biology literature and evaluate scientific publications
5. Develop experience in presenting scientific results to peers, both orally and in writing
MEANS TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will receive an introduction to important concepts in cancer biology through lectures,
reading, and class discussion
2. Students will evaluate scientific literature by reading research articles. Each student will choose a
topic in cancer biology; they will perform a literature review and present a journal club
TEXTBOOK:
The Biology of Cancer, by Robert Weinberg, Garland Science, 1st ed. 2007, ISBN 0-8153-4076-1.
This is a required textbook.
One Renegade Cell: How Cancer Begins’ by Robert A. Weinberg. ISBN 0-465-072763-3. A very
basic description of how cancer develops at the biological level. Targeted to individuals who do not
have an extensive background in biology. Not required but could be helpful.
HELPFUL LINKS:
National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/
American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/index
Dictionary of cancer terms: http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
Cancer causes: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/causes
Understanding cancer PowerPoint series: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer
HOMEWORK: Homework will be assigned to reinforce the material covered in lecture and reading.
Homework assignments must be completed on time, and will count for 15% of the final grade. The
answers to homework will be reviewed in class and solutions will be posted on Moodle.
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BY455/655 2013
EXAMS: There will be 3 exams during the semester. The questions will be based primarily on lectures
and homework, however, some material from the assigned reading (and not necessarily covered in
class) will appear on exams. Questions will be multiple choice, true/false, or short answer. Each exam
will count for 20% of the final grade. Homework problems may appear on exams, therefore, it is
important that you understand how to solve or answer these questions. Make up exams will be given
orally and may have an increased degree of difficulty. The final exam is optional; you can use your
grade on the final to replace your lowest semester exam grade.
MOODLE: An outline of PowerPoint lectures for each class is available on Moodle. Lectures will
focus on clarifying important concepts in the reading assignments. You will need to take notes during
class to fill in the outline. You can use Moodle to get homework assignments, homework answers,
handouts, journal club information and your grades. The Course Total on Moodle is not a weighted
final grade – please don’t let Moodle calculate your final grade!
JOURNAL CLUB: This is an opportunity to perform a literature review in an area of cancer biology
that interests you. You will choose a related scientific article in Science or Nature, and present the
results to the class. You may select a topic from the list provided on Moodle, or you can choose your
own topic and journal article. However, if you choose your own, please check with Professor
Woodworth. Check the journal club guidelines handout for specific information on how to prepare
your presentation. Your PowerPoint presentation must be approved by Dr. Woodworth before you
present and he will provide advice. Check the grading guidelines for information about how your
presentation and outline will be graded.
GRADING: Grades are assigned according to 90-100 A, 86-89 B+, 80-85 B, 76-79 C+, 70-75 C, 6669 D+, 60-65 D, below 60 F. Attendance and class participation each count for 5 points of your final
grade. You receive participation points by participating in class and journal club discussions.
Topic
3 examinations
final exam
journal club
class homework
attendance / class participation
Percent of Final Grade
60% (each 20%)
optional
15%
15%
10%
SYLLABUS 2013:
Dates
1/11
1/14
1/16
1/18
1/21
1/23
1/25
1/28
Topic
Introduction
The nature of cancer
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Demo journal club
Molecular techniques
Tumor viruses
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Cellular oncogenes
Assigned Reading
pp. 1-56
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pp. 57-90
"
pp. 91-118
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BY455/655 2013
1/30
2/1
2/4
2/6
2/8
2/11
2/13
2/15
2/18
2/20
2/22
2/25
2/27
3/1
3/4
3/6
3/8
3/11
3/13
3/15
3/18
3/20
3/22
3/25
3/27
3/29
4/1
4/3
4/5
4/8
4/10
4/12
4/15
4/17
4/19
4/22
4/24
4/26
4/29
Growth factors and receptors
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Cytoplasmic signaling
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Journal club 1-2
pp. 119-158
HW-1 due
pp. 159-208
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HW-2 due
EXAM 1
Winter recess
Tumor suppressor genes
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Journal club 3-4
The cell cycle clock and pRb
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Journal club 5-6
Apoptosis and p53
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Journal club 7-8
Cell immortalization
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EXAM 2
Spring break
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Multistep tumorigenesis
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Journal club 9-10
Invasion and metastasis
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Journal club 11-12
Tumor immunology and therapy
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Journal club 13-14
Rationale treatment of cancer
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EXAM 3
Review for final exam
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FINAL EXAM WEEK
pp. 1-158
pp. 209-254
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pp. 255-306
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HW-3 due
pp. 307-356
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HW-4 due
pp. 357-398
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pp. 159-356
399-462
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pp. 587-654
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HW-5 due
pp. 655-724
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HW-6 due
pp. 725-795
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pp. 357-462, 587-724
all inclusive
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Inclusive
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BY455/655 2013
Guidelines for Journal Club in Cell & Molecular Biology of Cancer
1. Choose an article for your Journal Club. Please select a topic and date from the list provided.
You may also choose a topic not on the list, but you should check with me first.
2. Organize your presentation for class. Review the chosen article from Science or Nature and
outline the major points for your presentation. Your talk should include:
A literature review and enough background information (10 min) for the audience to understand
why the experiments were performed. What is the question to be investigated? You should read a
review article to become familiar with the background of your article.
Explain any figures or tables in your own words. It might be necessary to describe a complex
method or technique (Dr. Woodworth can usually help if a method is unclear). After you are
finished explaining the results, briefly summarize the major findings (7-8 min).
Comment briefly on why this research is important (2-3 min). If parts of the article were unclear,
mention these. What is the next logical step for the research (i.e., do the results suggest that
additional experiments are needed)?
3. Design a PowerPoint presentation. Your presentation should last 20 minutes and include
PowerPoint slides. Follow the guidelines listed on the grading form. Try to make the presentation
interesting and clear, and emphasize a few major points. Common mistakes are to speak too rapidly or
too softly to be understood, reading material directly from slides, or failure to make eye contact with
the audience. Another common problem is including too much material on a slide. Make sure to e-mail
your PowerPoint presentation to Dr. Woodworth on Wednesday before your presentation. He will
provide constructive feedback to help you improve your presentation. Please send Dr. Woodworth a
revised PowerPoint the day before your presentation so that he can load it on the computer desktop. If
you bring a disc or memory device to class that does not work, you will not be able to complete your
presentation and you will not receive credit.
4. Written summary. Please compose a one page outline listing the most important points in your
presentation. At the end of your outline, include three questions for discussion in class. Distribute
copies to each student during class on Wednesday before your presentation. Dr. Woodworth can help
with copying. Selected material from student presentations may appear on class exams, so the one page
outline will be useful for studying.
5. Grading. Each of you will grade your peers using the criteria on the grading form. Four criteria are
listed along with the percentage that each contributes to the final grade. I reserve the right to alter any
grade if I disagree with the outcome (i.e., giving your friends 100 points). Try to be honest in your
grading, and include constructive suggestions for the speaker. I will collect these suggestions, add my
own comments, and return these suggestions to each student with their grade.
6. Class participation: A copy of the journal article and background information will be available for
each student on the Moodle website. You should read the article in order to develop a general
understanding of the topic, and then try to think of several questions to ask in class. I expect that
everyone will ask questions and contribute to the discussion (maybe not in every class, but in at least in
several. I will note who participates, and you will be graded based on your level of class participation.
10% of your final grade is based on attendance and class participation.
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