Application deadline

Type of course

Admission requirements

To take PhD courses you need at a minimum a master's degree or equivalent, or admission to a Medical Student Research Program.

For information about how to apply for admission, go to http://uit.no/helsefak/forskning/phd/emner

Course content

The course is divided into three modules:

Module I cover the topics DNA repair, Transcriptional regulation, Chromatin and Epigenetics and the impact of these processes for maintenance and proper proliferation and differentiation of the cell. How dysregulation of any these processes may contribute to cancer development is discussed.

The topics of Module II are infectious agents and their involvement in different cancer types, cancer stem cells, and cancer epidemiology. The infectious agents discussed are mainly prokaryotes and viruses, and how some of their encoded proteins have the ability to disturb the normal regulation of a eukaryotic cell. The cancer stem cell hyphothesis will be discussed. The epidemiology part highlights the impact of genetic and environmental factors in cancer development.

Module III discusses factors that may have a preventive effect on cancer development, molecular medicines and how such medicines specifically hit the oncoproteins and thereby inhibit growth of cancer cells.

Objectives of the course

Knowledge

• Know the main mechanisms of DNA repair, Transcriptional regulation, Chromatin and Epigenetics and the impact of these processes for maintenance and proper proliferation and differentiation of the cell.  
• Know how proteins encoded by infectious agents have the ability to disturb the normal regulation of a eukaryotic cell and contribute to cancer development.
• Know the impact of genetic and environmental factors in cancer development.

Skills

• Be able to describe factors that may have a preventive effect on cancer development, molecular medicines and how such medicines specifically hit the oncoproteins and thereby inhibit growth of cancer cells.
• Describe how dysregulation of epigenetic and DNA repair processes may contribute to cancer development.
• Be able to review and present high impact research papers within the field of basic and translational cancer research.

Competence:

• Interpret results from own research and link it scientifically into the context of international basic and translational cancer research.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

Assessment

Work requirements
Lectures and seminars are obligatory

Exam and evaluation
3 oral presentations of articles (1 for each module); presented in plenary discussions. Evaluated with passed/not passed

The three exams are evaluated separately and all three parts have to be passed to pass the course.

Continuation exam
Continuation exam is given early in the following semester. Application deadline for the continuation exam is August 15th.

Recommended reading/syllabus

The lectures, seminars and the "hand outs" that are given during the course defines the curriculum.