Molecular Genetics of Human Cancer

This site is the unofficial website for the course

• Biochemistry 4450A and

• Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 4450A

from Schulich School of Medicine and Denistry at Western University. It contains information, and links to external resources, that are intended to assist learning the material. The official course page is accessible to Western students using OWL. ¹

Specific genes, processes and cellular responses are routinely mutated in cancer. This subverts normal cellular physiology creating characteristic alterations called ‘hallmarks’ that enable these cells to fuel the development of cancer. This course focuses on these underlying processes that alter gene function - and the functional pathways they affect - across a diverse range of cancers.

By the end of this course, you will have:

• an understanding of the hallmarks of cancer and their underlying genes and processes;

• the capacity to evaluate new reports and breakthroughs in cancer in a sound scientific manner;

• a conceptual understanding of how cancer model systems and clinical samples have been investigated both traditional assays and also modern “systems biology” approaches;

• the capacity to explore cancer-related databases and models;

• the ability to offer opinions and exhibit theoretical understanding of novel treatment scenarios;

• the skills to communicate technical concepts and experimental results to diverse audiences.

Figure. The 12 Hallmarks of cancer. Hanahan D. (2022)