Stritch School of Medicine - Elective Course Catalog

Introduction

Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics (PHARM)

Dept. Contact:	See Course Description
Location:	Rm. 3621, Bldg. 102
Phone:
Email:

Department:
Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Course Number:
PHARM-415

Course Title:
Research: Mechanisms of cell migration in normal and cancer cells

No. of Students:
1

Site:
LUMC

Supervisor:
Adriano Marchese, Ph.D.

Duration:
8.0, 12.0 weeks

Periods Offered:
Year round

Prerequisite:
YES *

Special Note:
*To be arranged with Dr. Marchese.

Description:
Readings, discussions and laboratory research in one of several ongoing projects relating to molecular mechanisms controlling cell migration in normal and breast cancer cells. Experimental approaches may include cell migration assays, molecular biology work, immunofluorescence microscopy, Western blotting, tissue culture procedures and various standardized pharmacological and biochemical techniques. Students will be required to present their results, accompanied with a relevant literature review during informal and formal laboratory meetings.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Core Goal: Medical Knowledge

At the conclusion of this elective, students will demonstrate an understanding of:

the signaling pathways controlling cell migration in health and disease

the contribution of post-translational modifications on these pathways and their contribution to cell migration

how these pathways may be manipulated using various pharmacological/therapeutic agents to control cell migration

the various biochemical/molecular/cellular/pharmacological/genetic techniques used to study cell migration

safe laboratory practices and principles of effective laboratory research

Core Goal: Communication Skills

At the conclusion of this elective students will demonstrate the ability to:

effectively communicate their research project through discussions with Dr. Marchese and formal and informal oral presentations

write a final report in the style of a manuscript describing their research

maintain a detailed laboratory notebook describing their experiments/methods and results

Core Goal: Professionalism

At the conclusion of this elective, students will:

demonstrate, through their words and actions, personal integrity, care for others, responsible use of property and respect for authority;

work collaboratively with students, fellows, and staff in the laboratory;

demonstrate a commitment to personalize professional ideals and plan for professional growth consistent with the Statement of Academic Integrity for SSOM students;

understand the importance of integrity and honesty in the responsible conduct of research.

Core Goal: Lifelong Learning

At the conclusion of this elective students will demonstrate the ability to:

use computer technology to access and manage information and perform on-line searches to support self-directed learning;

appreciate how basic research contributes to progress in medical science;

understand how a continuing dialog between basic and clinical scientists promotes translational research to more effectively develop improved therapeutic strategies.

Method of Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on the basis of their discussions and presentations during laboratory meetings and interactions in the laboratory and a written report describing their research.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of their discussions and interactions in the laboratory and a written report describing their research. Presentation skills will be assessed at biweekly laboratory meetings. The student will also meet daily with Dr. Marchese to discuss research progress, review current literature, and design future experiments.

Halfway through the course a formative session with Dr. Marchese will informally assess the student’s progress and provide feedback on ways to more effectively achieve the Core Goals.

Ability to work effectively in the laboratory will account for 30% of the grade and will be assessed by evaluation of research results, data analysis, and records (laboratory notebook). Assessment of lab meeting discussions and the student’s meetings with Dr. Marchese will account for 30% of the grade. The remaining 40% of the grade will be based on a written report that summarizes the student’s project in the format of a research article and on an oral presentation of that report at a lab meeting.