Significant Dates:
January 11       Introductory session
January 25       Submission of abstract of thesis project; term project groups identified and topics selected
February 08     Submission of midterm assignment
April 4             Last session
April 11           Oral presentations – part 1
April 18           Oral presentations – part 2
May 2            Submission of final assignment

Course Goal:
To expose graduate students to the concepts of translational oncology (“from bench to bedside”) through a series of seminar-type presentations highlighting recent advances of translational research; and to motivate graduate students to apply the concepts of translational oncology to their research through a series of written and oral assignments.

Course Format:
The course will consist of a series of 12 sessions led by experts in the field of translational oncology research. The theme for the course this year is personalized medicine, with topics on a variety of cancer types and issues ranging from cancer genetics to molecular imaging.

Each of the 12 sessions will consist of 2 parts. The first part consists of a didactic lecture, typically 45-50 minutes in length, followed by a lecture-specific question and answer period. The second part consists of a separate group discussion of 30-45 minutes, led by 2-3 students, on 1-2 manuscripts selected by the presenter and given to the class in advance of the session. ALL students are expected to read the papers in advance and come to the session with prepared questions and/or discussion topics that arise from the selected manuscripts. Discussions are expected to focus on “big picture” implications of the paper to translational oncology; we are not looking for paper reviews or critiques! Each student will be expected to co-lead a discussion period at least once during the course. (NOTE that students are not expected to present the paper, but instead to come prepared to discuss it and its implications in the context of translational oncology.)

Course Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated through their participation, a midterm assignment, a final paper and an oral presentation at the end of the course.

Term Project:
The term project for this course consists of a group-developed “program project” grant application (the midterm is the equivalent of a letter of intent, and the final exam is the full proposal). In these types of grants, often three to four linked initiatives are submitted as part of a larger overall program of research. For example, a program project grant in head and neck cancer may involve biomarker identification and validation; imaging; and new therapy development, all linked by common themes and integrated with one another.

For the purposes of this group assignment, students will divide themselves into groups of 3-4, identify an overall topic or theme (which MUST be approved by Dr. Sukhai – no two groups can do the same topic, and topic choice is made on a first-come first-served basis), and then develop the project. Details of the midterm, final and presentation for this project are given in the sections below.

Participation (20%):
Lecture attendance is expected; following the introductory class on January 11th, there are 12 lectures for the course, running from January 18th  to April 04th (there is no break for Reading Week). All lectures are on Wednesday mornings, 10 a.m.-12 noon in room 7-605, 610 University Avenue. Students who know in advance that they cannot attend a given lecture are asked to contact Dr. Sukhai, as attendance counts for a component of the participation mark. (NOTE that conference attendance and illness are valid reasons for missing a class – unfortunately, “I need to run a gel” cannot serve as an appropriate excuse.)

Additional components of the participation mark will come from an evaluation of the discussion period led by each student, and from an evaluation of the individual students’ participation in the group discussions.

Midterm Assignment (15%) DUE: February 08, 2012
Using the concepts developed in the course to date, outline in 2 pages (single-spaced) a statement of translational research interests as part of the overall “program project” grant application for your group. Note that this MUST BE distinct from your graduate research project. Define as part of this outline the following components:

1. A clearly stated research question
2. A well-defined hypothesis
3. Two clearly stated objectives or specific aims of your research
4. What makes your proposed research translational; and the anticipated human impact of your research aims
5. How your proposed research integrates with the work of the others in the group, as part of the overall project

For this assignment, we are interested in the presentation of the research question, your hypothesis, and specific research objectives or aims. We are looking for you to “set the stage” for your final assignment research proposal. Here, we expect you to discuss clinical and translational relevance, what kinds of models and systems you will be using, and your rationale for choosing this research question.

For this assignment, if there’s room, you may outline your proposed study design and anticipated outcomes, but do not make these the focus of your discussion. At this stage, DO NOT go into detail about your methods, experimental plans, etc.

You will be marked on how well you have framed your research question, hypothesis and aims, as well as on the translational nature of your research and how well you have integrated the concepts learned in MBP 1018 into the development of your research objective. You will also be marked on how well your group’s ideas integrate with one another at this stage; this feedback will be useful to you in preparing your final assignments. Note that you are NOT allowed to have a single overall submission for your whole group, and that it is expected that each group member can articulate in their own words how and why their project fits into the larger vision.

Term Paper (50%) DUE: April 25, 2012
You will write a 4 page (single-spaced; not including figures, tables, and references) application for a “Medical Biophysics Translational Research Grant.” This grant is to be submitted as part of the group application, and be built around the translational research aim you designed for the Midterm Assignment, and must include the following components:

1. A brief introduction to the research area, including literature review and rationale for your proposed study
2. A clearly stated research question, and summary of the preliminary data for the project (this can be derived from the literature, with the appropriate references)
3. A clearly stated hypothesis
4. A maximum of two specific aims of your research, including at least one clear translational research aim. The experimental approach, availability of samples, methodologies, anticipated outcomes and potential pitfalls of each aim should be laid out. A clear description of the translational nature of the aim should also be presented
5. A statement of clinical relevance/impact

As a group, you will be expected to write an overall introduction and conclusion to your “program project” grant application, which should also include the ways in which your individual projects integrate with one another. For each of your specific sections, you should then only present what background is necessary, without repeating material covered in the overall introduction.

The assignments should be integrated and submitted as a group (this is in contrast to the midterm, which is to be handed in individually), and should contain the following sections:

• Abstract of overall project (1 page)
• Introduction and statement of relevance (2 pages)
• Rationale and outline of objectives/hypotheses (1 page)
• Each group member’s specific research proposal (4 pages, max, each – including a review of preliminary data from the literature, 2 aims, and a statement of translational implication)
• A section on integration and an overall conclusion (1 page)

You will be marked on the quality of your writing, as well as the clarity, flow and scientific integrity of your proposal, based on the concepts you have learned in the course. References are required; figures and tables are optional, but encouraged.

Oral Presentation (15%) April 11, and 18, 2012
In this final aspect of the course, you will give a group presentation (25 minutes) outlining your research proposal, with a focus on your translational aims and their impact and significance. There will be a 5 minute question period after the end of your presentation. Think of this presentation as part of an “interview” for your grant, wherein you have the chance to impress the audience with the importance of your work and the need for it to be funded.

Handouts are optional, but encouraged. You will be assessed on the clarity and conciseness of your presentation, your ability to engage the audience and answer questions, as well as the scientific content of your presentation and the group’s ability to integrate into the presentation well.

Note: Late papers will not be accepted. Electronic submissions are preferred.

Note: Your research questions CANNOT be derived from your own work. To verify this, we ask for a copy of your research abstract (e.g., your project proposal abstract from your first committee meeting or qualifying/reclassification exam; or your student seminar abstract). Failure to abide by this rule will result in an automatic failing grade in the course; there will be no opportunity for a make-up assignment.

Note: In choosing your research question, you cannot work on the same research problem you are currently working on. You may stay within the same disease, but you must choose a different aspect of it (for e.g., if you are working on a particular signaling pathway, you cannot do that, but you can do something based on imaging modalities in the same disease, or experimental therapeutics, etc.). You cannot work on the same protein. You may apply a technique you’re learning or working on currently to your research question, but remember that a research question isn’t based around a technique. You can, also, if you like, extrapolate from your research if it is very basic, and consider how you would apply it 5 or 10 years from now, in the clinical setting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Sukhai.