Ph.D. Courses

4 Credits | Fall Semester

The structure and function of macromolecules including enzyme kinetics, thermodynamics, protein folding, membranes, nucleic acids, glycoproteins, signal transduction, enzymology of DNA replication, recombination, and repair.

3 Credits | Spring Semester

This course covers topics in the disciplines of Cell Biology, Cell Signaling, and Developmental Biology for advanced undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. The major topics covered include: cytoskeletal organization, cell adhesion, extracellular matrix, cell signaling, cell cycle, tissue biology/histology, early development and patterning, and organogenesis.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

This course will cover analysis and interpretation of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. Topics will include genome sequencing and annotation, gene expression analysis (RNAseq), and genomic variant analysis. A substantial part of the course will be devoted to hands-on tutorials using the Galaxy and R platforms to work with NGS data, from the raw sequencing reads through biological interpretation of the results. Students will apply what they have learned by conducting an independent RNAseq analysis project and presenting their results in the format of a scientific paper. Upon completing the course, students should be familiar with the practical aspects of carrying out an NGS analysis workflow and appreciate how NGS technology can be used to further our understanding of biological systems.

3 Credits | Fall Semester

Introduction to core concepts of molecular biology. A detailed description of methods used for analysis, purification, quantitation of nucleic acids, and proteins.

4 Credits | Fall Semester

Designed to provide students with an integrative overview of mechanisms of growth control & malignant transformation by physical, chemical, and viral mechanisms. Introduction to growth factors, oncogenes, & suppressor genes. Includes an introduction to means of reverting or blocking malignant behavior with particular emphasis on biochemical & molecular mechanisms.

4 Credits | Spring Semester

An overview of the fundamentals of pharmacology as applied to cancer therapy. Mechanisms of action and resistance to chemotherapeutic, antihormonal, biological response modifiers, and new experimental drugs will be emphasized. TBIO 536 is a full semester course (4 credits).

0 Credits | Fall Semester

This course provides an introduction to the Shared Resources of the Lombardi Cancer Center. Emphasis will be on the practical aspects of utilization.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

This course will allow the student to develop an understanding of the skills and ethical questions important for a successful and satisfying career in science. Open to Ph.D. students.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

The course covers the process of generating a manuscript for submission to a scientific journal. Starting with raw data, the process includes generating figures, legends for figures, results, discussion, methods, abstract, and introductory sections.

2 Credits | Fall Semester
Prerequisite: Tumor Biology Thesis Research (typically Year 2 and above)

This course is designed to be taken by Ph.D. students conducting research in the second year in the program. They should be generating data from their own experiments and are planning on pre-doctoral grant submissions. It is envisioned that the course involves a lot of hands-on problem solving by the students to enable them to design experiments and analyze the data from cancer research with the correct mathematical and statistical approaches.

0 Credits | Fall or Spring Semester

Student presentations of current articles in cancer research literature coordinated with a weekly outside speaker seminar series. All areas of Basic, Clinical, and Cancer Prevention and Control research are covered. Grading is based on attendance and class participation.

0 Credits | Fall & Spring Semester

Student seminar series of presentations coordinated with their laboratory rotation research projects, and with an ongoing series of weekly research presentations by all Lombardi Cancer Center members. Grading is based on attendance and class participation.

0 Credits | Fall & Spring Semester

Thesis Research (Ph.D. Candidates)

3 Credits | Fall Semester

This new didactic course will provide an overview of the field of Biomedical Informatics from different perspectives. Particular emphasis is given to understanding the basic building blocks, various information resources and the application areas of Biomedical Informatics. Students will learn to explore the process of developing and applying computational techniques for determining the information needs of health care providers and patients.

4 Credits | Fall Semester

In this course, students will be introduced to basic biochemical pathways involved in normal human tissue and in carcinogenesis. Furthermore, students will be encouraged to think about how molecular interventions of biochemical pathways could be applied to solve current problems in cancer research.

1 Credit

Each segment of this three-part series will consist of one two-hour tutorial session, directed readings, and one two-hour journal club seminar meeting hosted by LCCC Clinical Oncologists. The topics covered will include cancer screening, pathology, and management, inherited susceptibility to cancer, cancer chemotherapy and radiation, drug design, and new techniques in screening and therapy. Students will choose two of four tumor types for focused study: Gastrointestinal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, and Hematologic Malignancies.

1 Credit | Fall Semester

This course promotes an appreciation for the biology of breast cancer as it occurs in individual women, allowing students to better formulate research programs addressing issues of clinical significance.

3 Credits | Spring Semester

Cancer epidemiology, prevention, and control relies on the conduct of basic science research and applied research in the behavioral, social, and population sciences to create or enhance interventions that, independently or in combination with biomedical approaches, reduce cancer risk, incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and improve quality of life. The objectives of this course are to equip students with the understanding of cancer problems from cell to society and to provide them with evidence of the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration between biomedical and behavioral sciences. The overall goal of the course is to stimulate students to apply broad perspectives to their areas of research interest that ultimately lead to a successful research career in cancer prevention and control.

3 Credits

This is a combined lecture/literature review/problem-based discussion course designed for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in Human Science, Molecular/Cell Biology, Tumor Biology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience. Moreover, a broad range of topics will be covered by discussing landmark papers and emerging concepts in the field of epigenetic research, including environmental health, cancer, and neurological disorder. Following an introductory lecture on each topic, students will discuss in detail recent papers and background material concerning each individual topic.

3 Credits | Fall Semester

The Cancer Epigenetics course covers epigenetic mechanisms in human diseases, focusing on cancers. This is a combined lecture/literature review/discussion course designed for graduate students in Molecular/Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Tumor Biology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience. The course has five primary objectives: (1) understanding the epigenetic regulation in normal & cancer cells; (2) deciphering epigenetic pathways and molecular targets in malignant transformation; (3) learning the impact of epigenetic alterations associated with cancers; 4) reviewing recent advances in epigenetic issues/phenomena by highlighting the growing importance of epigenetic therapeutics in cancers; (5) learning the scientific approaches/methods employed to define epigenetic-mediated cancer drivers and their therapeutic potential.

3 Credits | Fall Semester

This course introduces the fundamentals of the molecular genetics and molecular cytogenetics of cancer. In addition, it covers diagnostic, clinical, and population-based aspects of this rapidly advancing field.

3 Credits | Spring Semester

An introduction to bioinformatics in systems biology, covering microarray data analysis, proteomic informatics, and regulatory network and pathway analysis, and discuss how a systems approach to the analysis of “omics” data can improve our understanding of biology.

2 credits

This course provides an understanding of the principles and practices related to cancer prevention and control, highlighting the application of social, psychological, behavioral, and translational research across the cancer control continuum, from cancer diagnosis to survivorship. We will examine strategies to help control the impact of cancer from the individual to population levels, with innovative examples from clinically-applied and research-tested approaches in the fields of tobacco control, diet and physical activity promotion, cancer screening and management, and survivorship education and health outcomes.

1 Credit | Fall Semester

This course features a broad site by site survey of human cancer. The perspective is primarily from the points of view of the medical oncologist and pathologist, with an emphasis on providing an integrated view of each principal cancer covering the following: natural history, biology, and treatment.

3 Credits

This course provides a framework for understanding the fundamentals of human medical genetics and the concomitant ethical and social issues that arise, as well as the practical implications for health and well-being.

2 Credits

Animal models are an invaluable tool for cancer research and the goal of TBIO 6560 is to introduce graduate students to the wide variety of models available to the factors that inform the choice of an appropriate model for the research planned, and to provide basic training in the ethical, legal, and technical aspects of their use.

2 Credits | Spring Semester

Cancer health disparities represent a major public health problem in the United States. This course addresses the biological basis for the observed unequal burdens of cancer across racial/ethnic populations. The impact of genetic/genomic/epigenetic variability between groups that may affect cancer susceptibility and/or response to therapy which is vital to reducing the cancer gaps will be explored. The course will also explore evidence-based mechanisms that are designed to increase our understanding of biological factors and mechanisms that play a role in cancer health disparities.

2 Credits

A combination of lecture and lab, this course provides a strong background in pathology as related to cancer. The course consists of general introductory pathology lectures, followed by the pathologic basis of specific cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, cervical and endometrial, and hematopoietic.

1 Credit

This course introduces students to the concept of carcinogenesis process (chemical, viral, and physical) with a focus on the causes, distribution, and prevention of cancer in populations. The course emphasizes the roles of DNA damage/repair, individual genetic differences to environmental exposures in cancer risk. Students will learn how the current knowledge is used to develop molecular and genetic biomarkers that could be applied to assess cancer risk and identify potential risk and protective factors.

1 Credit | Fall Semester

The discipline of Tumor Biology (or cancer biology) occupies the intersection between multiple other fields including biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, pharmacology, and pathology, since at its essence it is the study of how processes within the body, whether normal or perturbed in some way, are involved in carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and the response to anti-cancer therapy. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the field of Tumor Biology through a series of short informal presentations by Tumor Biology Program faculty describing their research interests, how their work relates to the field as a whole, and the research projects currently ongoing in their labs. The course usually starts in the middle of October. Each session includes two to three presentations. The sessions are informal and student participation in discussions is expected. Grading is based on attendance and class participation.

1 Credit | Spring Semester

An introduction to microarray experimental and data analysis. This is a distinct unit of TBIO 6530, which will run from January to mid-February.

1 credit | Spring Semester

An introduction to mass spectrometry data analysis and proteomic biomarker discovery. This is a distinct unit of TBIO 6530, which will run from mid-February to the end of March.

1 Credit | Spring Semester

An introduction to the metabolomics, interactomics, regulatory network, and pathway analysis, and -omics data integrating and mining. This is a distinct unit of TBIO 6530, which runs from the end of March to the end of April.

3 Credits | Fall Semester

Laboratory Research Project required for M.S. Students. Part 1 of 2.

3 Credits | Spring Semester

Laboratory Research Project required for M.S. Students. Part 2 of 2.