[bioundgrd] Still Openings Available for Advance UG Course: "DNA Damage Checkpoints and Cancer"

[MacKenzie Outlund]

There are still seats available for the advance undergraduate course 7.341
about DNA damage checkpoints and cancer called:
"DNA Damage Checkpoints: the Emergency Brake on the Road to Cancer".

Course sessions are currently set for Thursdays at 1pm-3pm, but can be
re-scheduled if necessary. 
for more information please contact: Marcel van Vugt (vanvugt at mit.edu) or
Christian Reinhardt (reinharc at mit.edu) or visit:
http://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/7/fa07/7.341//courseMaterial/topics/topic2/s
yllabus/text/text
 

The DNA contained in human cells is under constant attack by both exogenous
and endogenous agents that can damage one of its three billion base pairs.
To cope with this permanent exposure to DNA-damaging agents, such as the
sun's radiation or by-products of our normal metabolism, powerful DNA damage
checkpoints have evolved that allow organisms to survive this constant
assault on their genomes. The tremendous importance of checkpoints is
underlined by the fact that defects in checkpoint genes are commonly seen in
cancer. Once DNA damage checkpoints detect DNA lesions, cellular
proliferation is stopped immediately and DNA repair is initiated. If the
extent of damage is beyond the capacity of the cell¹s repair systems,
checkpoint signaling ensures elimination of such damaged cells by the
induction of a cellular suicide program known as programmed cell death, or
apoptosis. Cellular responses to DNA damage constitute one of the most
important fields in cancer biology. Exciting work in this area has taught us
important lessons, such as: DNA damage can cause cancer; paradoxically, the
induction of DNA damage is the mechanism of action of the major approaches
to treating cancer (radiation and chemotherapy); and DNA damage of normal
tissues is responsible for most of the side effects of cancer therapy, such
as hair loss. We will analyze classical and recent papers from the primary
research literature to gain a profound understanding of checkpoints that act
as powerful emergency brakes to prevent cancer. We will consider basic
principles of cell proliferation and molecular details of the DNA damage
response. We will discuss the methods and model organisms typically used in
this field as well as how an understanding of checkpoint mechanisms
translates into the development of treatments for human cancer. This course
will not stop at discussing literature. We will take it one step further and
analyze real data in an MIT Biology laboratory.
 
 


Thanks! 

Marcel van Vugt
Christian Reinhardt

 
-----------------------------
Marcel van Vugt, PhD
Center for Cancer Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
E18-580
Cambridge, MA 021329
USA

E: vanvugt at mit.edu
Ph: +1-617-452-2443
Fax: +1-617-452-4978