10 & 11 February – Cancer Biology & the Science of Targeted Treatments

Monday & Tuesday 10-11 February 2014, London

2-day course: Cancer Biology & the Science of Targeted Treatments

Level: intermediate/advanced (Designed for research nurses and clinical trials staff with at least some understanding of cell biology.)

Description: This 2-day course provides a grounding in cancer biology before moving to descriptions of a wide range of targeted treatments for solid tumours and haematological cancers. Also includes mechanisms of drug resistance and an introduction to biomarkers and personalised cancer care. This course includes a variety of practical exercises, question sheets and quizzes.

To book, contact: Veronica Sinclair (this course is organised by the NCRN)

Programme Day 1

• Cells, DNA, chromosomes, genes, proteins
• Cell division and the cell cycle
• Causes of DNA damage
• Oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes

• 8 hallmarks of cancer cells
• The tumour microenvironment

Hallmarks of cancer: practical exercise

• The current state of play of targeted cancer treatments
• Monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors
• Mechanisms of action, specificity and side effects – comparing monoclonal antibodies and small molecules

• Monoclonal antibodies for leukaemia and lymphoma
• Bcr-Abl inhibitors

• The complexity of cancer
• Genetic instability and intratumoural heterogeneity
• Resistance mechanisms

• The importance of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their downstream pathways as drug targets for solid tumours
• RTK inhibitors in use and trials
• mTOR and B-Raf inhibitors
• Un-druggable targets

• VEGF/angiogenesis inhibitors
• PARP inhibitors
• ALK inhibitors

Clinical trials speed dating

• HSP90 inhibitors
• Hedgehog pathway inhibitors
• Immunotherapy

• New paradigms in clinical trial design
• Clinical development case studies: gefitinib and crizotinib
• The use of biomarkers to select patients for trials and treatments for patients

Novel agents: practical exercise