GERSTNER SLOAN-KETTERING CORE COURSE TOPICS

FALL SEMESTER

Section 1 - Genome Biology

• Cancer as a disease
• Chemistry and structure of mutations
• Informational content of mutations and screening for mutations
• Chromosome structure
• Chromosome replication
• Drug discovery and development
• Topoisomerase poisons and nucleoside metabolism effectors as chemotherapeutic agents
• Linkage analysis
• Forward and reverse genetics
• Meiotic recombination
• Biochemical mechanisms of homologous recombination
• Double-strand break repair and non-homologous end joining
• Cytogenetics and cancer
• Healing DNA/RNA ends and sealing DNA/RNA strands
• DNA repair
• Chromosome segregation
• Chemical biology and chemotherapy of mitotic poisons

Section II - Proteins and Gene Expression

• Protein structure, folding, and modification
• Protein structure-function analysis
• Protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions
• Errors in protein folding and cancer
• Mechanics of translation
• RNA modification
• Computational and systems biology
• Mechanics of transcription
• Methods of experimental perturbation of gene expression and function in culture
• Gene transfer vectors: experimental and medical applications
• Clinical manipulation of gene expression
• Mouse model systems
• Measurement of gene expression
• Epigenetics

Section III - Cells and Regulation of the Cell Cycle

• Cellular membrane structure and function
• Cytoskeletal architecture
• Visualization of cells and cellular components
• Nuclear cytoplasmic export and import
• Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum
• The secretory pathway and endocytosis
• The cell cycle
• The mitotic checkpoint
• The DNA damage response
• Apoptosis
• p53
• Radiation as a therapeutic agent
• Current pharmocology of neoplastic agents
• Exploitation of checkpoints in chemotherapy
• Phase I design principles: Exploitation of checkpoints in chemotherapy
• Evolution of preatment protocols

SPRING SEMESTER

Section IV - Signaling and Development

• Principles of signal transduction and links to oncogenesis
• Introduction to signaling and cell type specification in development
• Gastrulation and early morphogenesis in drosophila
• Gastrulation and early morphogenesis in mammals
• The Ras and MAP kinase pathways: Normal functions in development
• The Ras and MAP kinase pathways in disease
• Wnt--the pathway and its normal functions in development
• Wnt and cancer
• TGFb signaling pathway
• TGFb signaling pathways in development
• TGFb signaling pathway in disease
• Hedgehog in development
• Hedgehog and cancer
• Notch
• Crosstalk between signaling pathways
• Transcription factors in development and cancer
• Growth control: Akt-Pten-Tor
• mTor and rapamycin
• Cell-to-Cell Adhesion and Communication
• Cell matrix adhesion and signaling
• Manipulating signal transductions pathways with small molecules
• Cell migration and invasion
• Stem cells

Section V - Cancer Immunology

• Overview of the immune system
• Innate immunity: NK cells
• Innate immunity: toll-like receptors
• Adaptive immunity -- B-cells
• Adaptive immunity -- T-cells: antigen presentation
• Adaptive immunity -- T-cells: antigen/MHC recognition and the TCR
• Adaptive immunity -- T-cells: T cell development
• Adaptive immunity -- T-cells: regulation of T cell activation
• Adaptive immunity -- T-cells: T cell effector responses and memory
• Tumor immunology: Immune system and cancer/immunotherapy of cancer
• Biostatistics

Section VI - Cancer Biology

• Basics of clinical trials
• Anatomic and molecular pathology
• Molecular imaging
• Pharmacology of chemotherapy drugs
• Targeting protein degradation (Hsp 90, etc)
• Radiation therapy principles
• Biomarkers
• Leukemia translocations
• Sarcoma translocations
• Molecular classification in lymphoma
• Kinases in myleproliferative diseases
• EGFR and Ras and lung cancer
• Kinases in glioblastoma
• B-Raf and melanoma
• Protesome inhibitors and myeloma
• Hormone-dependent cancers
• Colon cancer
• Inherited cancer susceptibility syndromes