MEDSCI 713 : Principles of Cancer Therapy
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
The course covers the the rapidly evolving landscape of therapies used to treat cancer. This included 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. Some have also been involved in developing these through to clinical trials and forming biotechnology spinout companies.
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.
In the group seminar assignment students will be presented a scenario for the development of a potential new anti-cancer drug. They will work together in teams as if they were a startup biotech company to produce a clinical development plan for this drug. They will present this potential "investors" (lecturers with startup company experience) to seek the funding they need to take this drug through to FDA approval. This assignment will build transferable skills useful in industry.
Two 1500-word essays on a topic covering development of new cancer therapies. 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 and also understand the realities of commercial development of new drugs. The aim of an essay is to stimulate your interest and critical thinking in understanding the process of developing new cancer therapies.
This course provides strong foundation for Honours, Masters or PhD in any area of cancer research or students interested in development of new cancer drugs. 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 bioscience enterprise programme and those interested in the biotech industry) 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 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
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 3.1, 3.2, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
- 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 4.1 and 4.2)
- Evaluate research developments in selected areas of cancer therapy, drawing on the knowledge from this course and your own, independent study. (Capability 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
- 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 5.1 and 5.2)
- 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 6.1 and 6.2)
- Explain and communicate the process of developing new cancer drugs from the experimental biology phase through to the clinical trials and successful commercialisation. (Capability 5.1, 5.2, 7.1, 7.2 and 8.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Essays | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| Presentation | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Pitch for investment in drug discovery co | 20% | Group Coursework |
| Final Exam | 30% | Individual Examination |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Essays | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||
| Pitch for investment in drug discovery co | ||||||||||
| 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. The course includes a group project that involves a presentation and a written report.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience or Online
This course is offered in two delivery modes:
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including all teaching sessions.
Lectures will be available as recordings.
Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Online
Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.
Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course.
This course runs to the University semester/quarter timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.
Learning 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.
There is no textbook specific for MEDSCI 713; all resources will be provided on Canvas and as reading lists.
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 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.
This course is designed to work in parallel with Medsci714. That course focuses on the biological basis of cancer and Medsci713 focusses on how we use that information to develop effective treatments for this disease. All of the lecturers in Medsci713 are directly involved in developing new anti-cancer drugs themselves or in treating cancer.
In the past there were 12 individual lectures in the course but it will now be delivered 5 main blocks of 2 lectures each. Each block will also be delivered by 2 lecturers to provide maximum levels of continuity and cohesion of course content and to provide extra levels of backup and support for students as we deal with the possibilities of fluctuations in course delivery modes due to COVID
1. Precision medicine in cancer therapy using small molecule drugs including protein kinase inhibitors as modulators of signal transduction.
Professor Peter Shepherd and A/Prof Jeffrey Smaill
2. Hypoxia in tumours and impacts for small molecule therapies and radiation therapy
A/Prof Adam Patterson and Dr Benjamin Dickson
3. Antibodies and other biological drugs in treating cancer
Professor Peter Shepherd and Dr Moana Tercel
4. Targeting the tumour microenvironment including the immune system to improve cancer therapy response
Dr Kimi Henare and Dr Petr Tomek
5. Treating haematologic malignancies including cellular therapies and modulation of the bone marrow microenvironment
Dr Maggie Kalev and Dr Andrew Wood
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations 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. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
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.