MEDSCI 713 : Principles of Cancer Therapy
Medical and Health Sciences
2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
The course covers the major strategies currently used to treat cancer including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapies and biological therapies such as monoclonal antibodies. The course is delivered by lecturers who are all directly involved in the development of new cancer therapies who can deliver in depth insights into the latest advances in this area.
The course runs in 12x2 hour teaching sessions. Each consists of a mix of lectures, discussion and seminars. Seminars are interactive, reinforcing lecture content and providing examples of concepts raised in lectures.
During seminars, original research papers are presented by individual students. Seminar papers are carefully chosen by lecturers to emphasise important teaching points and provide demonstrative examples of selected cancer therapies (clinical and experimental). There is ample opportunity to discuss both lecture content and original research presented during seminars.
The largest assignment is a 3000-word essay on a topic covering a developmental area of cancer therapy. Essay topics are provided at the start of a semester and are independent of lectures. You will need to commit an independent study time to find literature in this area, synthesise and evaluate information from multiple research papers, including from other disciplines, recognise patterns and controversies in the field, draw conclusions about the potential for clinical translation, critique and summarise implications for both future research and clinical applications. The aim of an essay is to stimulate your interest and critical thinking in a specific area of experimental cancer therapy.
Seminar presentations and essays are marked according to a comprehensive marking sheet provided to both students and lecturers at the start of a semester. Multiple examples of past student seminars and essays are provided to guide student performance. There is potential to convert outstanding essays into publications, but this typically requires additional commitment beyond the time-line of the course, so it is optional.
This course provides strong foundation for Honours, Masters or PhD in any area of cancer research. The focus is on biological underpinnings of anti-cancer therapies but we also have pharmacy and bioengineering students, medical laboratory scientists, nurses and other interdisciplinary students (including from the enterprise programme) regularly taking this course.
If you have a strong interest in cancer biology, you may wish to combine MedSCi 713 with MedSci 714 (Advanced Cancer Biology), but this is not required.
Course Contacts
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand rationale and the mechanism of action of selected cancer therapies, both those already used in the clinic and others that are still being designed or developed. (Capability 1 and 2)
- Develop an appreciation of research methods (ranging from modern molecular and cellular techniques, animal models to clinical trials) that are employed in research to develop and test novel cancer therapies. (Capability 1 and 2)
- Evaluate research developments in selected areas of cancer therapy, drawing on the knowledge from this course and your own, independent study. (Capability 2 and 3)
- Demonstrate the ability to recognise gaps in current cancer therapies and treatment outcomes, and propose experiments and strategies that can help address these gaps. (Capability 3 and 5)
- Showcase your knowledge and understanding of selected aspects of cancer therapy in a clear, logical and attractive manner, by delivering independently prepared assignments that use your own language and incorporate your own schematics and figures. (Capability 4 and 5)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 35% | Individual Coursework |
| Presentation | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignments | 10% | Group Coursework |
| Final Exam | 40% | Individual Examination |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Essay | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect the following weekly allocation of workload: 1 hour of lectures, 1 hour of seminars, 6 hours of work on assignments and 2 hours on exam preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is [required/expected] at scheduled activities including [labs/tutorials/studios/clinics] to [complete/receive credit for] components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including [seminars/tutorials/labs/studios] will [be available/not be available] as recordings.
The course [will/will not] include live online events including [group discussions/tutorials].
Attendance on campus is [required/not required] for the [test/exam].
The activities for the course are scheduled as a [standard weekly timetable/block delivery].
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Other Information
MEDSCI 302 Cancer Biology course is strongly recommended but not an absolute prerequisite for this course. The following textbooks, available in the library, can be used to access background information if required: Tannock et al. (eds.) The Basic Science of Oncology and Weinberg et al. (eds.) The Biology of Cancer.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
We provide all lecture slides. Lecture recordings are automatic, as long as room facilities support it.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.