COURSE UNIT TITLE

Offered By

Translational Oncology

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR GIZEM ÇALIBAŞI KOÇAL

Offered to

Translational Oncology

Course Objective

In the preclinical testing process of converting a compound into a drug, the compound in question must go through testing stages. First, a potential target for treating a disease must be identified. Multiple compounds are then screened, and any that show potential to treat the disease must undergo toxicity testing prior to clinical testing to reduce the potential for harm.
Before testing a drug in humans, researchers must find out if the drug has the potential to cause serious harm, also called toxicity. There are two types of preclinical research defined as in vitro and in vivo. While in vitro studies are carried out using cell lines; In vivo studies are carried out with experimental animals. Pre-clinical studies are not very large. However, these studies should provide detailed information on dosing and toxicity levels. After preclinical testing, researchers review their findings and decide whether to test the drug in humans. Thus, preclinical testing encompasses activities that link drug discovery in the laboratory to the initiation of human clinical trials. (Sources: FDA Preclinial Research website: https://www.fda.gov/patients/drug-development-process/step-2-preclinical-research; Sci Rep 2017; 7: 9109; Nat Rev Drug Discov 2011; 10: 179 187)

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Recomended or Required Reading

Julio Isael Perez Carreon and Jorge Melendez Zajgla. In Vitro and In Vivo Models for Cancer Research. Pp: 148-162. (Doi: 10.2174/978160805016111201010148) In Molecular Oncology: Principles and Recent Advances (Editor: Javier Camacho) (eISBN: 978-1-60805-016-1, 2012 , ISBN: 978-1-60805-611-8)
Sajjad H, Imtiaz S, Noor T, Siddiqui YH, Sajjad A, Zia M. Cancer models in preclinical research: A chronicle review of advancement in effective cancer research. Animal Model Exp Med. 2021 Mar 29;4(2):87-103.
Kersten K, de Visser KE, van Miltenburg MH, Jonkers J. Genetically engineered mouse models in oncology research and cancer medicine. EMBO Mol Med. 2017 Feb;9(2):137-153.
Gargiulo G. Next-Generation in vivo Modeling of Human Cancers. Front Oncol. 2018 Oct 10;8:429.
Van Norman GA. Limitations of Animal Studies for Predicting Toxicity in Clinical Trials: Part 2: Potential Alternatives to the Use of Animals in Preclinical Trials. JACC Basic Transl Sci. 2020 Apr;5(4):387-397.
Suggitt M, Bibby MC. 50 years of preclinical anticancer drug screening: empirical to target-driven approaches. Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Feb 1;11(3):971-81.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Theoretical lectures, reinforcement and discussion of the subjects with in-class activities (presentations and assignments)

Assessment Methods

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Assessment with homework and presentation (Learning outcome 1,2 and 3)
Assessment with the exam (Learning outcome 4,5 and 6)

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

To be announced.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

gizem.calibasi@deu.edu.tr ; 0 232 412 58 35

Office Hours

Tuesday 14:00-15:00

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes