Semester 1 (Fall)
GPILS 601 Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences: From Genes to Disease (8 credits) Course Director – Dr. Tom Abrams (tabrams@umaryland.edu)
This course is a comprehensive overview of current knowledge in cellular, molecular, and structural biology. The course provides all of the background necessary for subsequent specialized studies in biomedical cancer research in a concentrated program. GPLS 601 is required for all GPILS students.
Elective Course: GPLS 690 Current Topics in Vascular and Stem Cell Biology (1 credit) Course Director – Dr. Li Zhang (lizhang@som.umaryland.edu) . (see details below under electives)
Semester 2 (Spring)
GPILS 790 Advanced Cancer Biology (3 credits)
Course Director – Dr. Toni Passaniti (apass001@umaryland.edu ), Assistant Director: Dr. Feyruz Rassool (frassool@som.umaryland.edu).
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of cancer from diagnosis to treatment as well as the latest research discoveries. The course begins with the biology of cancer cells, the stages of cancer and types of tumors, and the important genetic and epigenetic events that contribute to cancer progression including DNA damage and changes in the microenvironment. Topics related to cancer diagnosis, therapeutics and animal models for studying cancer are also covered. Lectures include a discussion of tumor suppressors, oncogenes, signal transduction, disruption of growth control networks, oncopharmacology, drug design and screening (robotics), and common forms of cancer. GPLS 790 is required for all Cancer Biology students.
CIPP 907 Research Ethics (1 credit) Course Director – Dr. Adam Puche (apuche@umaryland.edu )
Various aspects of research ethics are examined, including data collection and ownership, issues in the use of human and animal subjects, responsibilities of authorship, and identifying and handling conflicts of interest and scientific misconduct. The course meets monthly throughout the year and is required of all students and postdoctoral fellows seeking federal training grant support. Students will receive a certificate of completion. CIPP907 is a requirement for all GPILS students.
Spring Elective course (see options below*)
Semester 3 (Fall)
GPILS 665 Cancer Biology: From Basic Research to the Clinic (3 credits)
Course Director – Dr. Feyruz Rassool (frassool@som.umaryland.edu ), Assistant Directors: Dr. Tony Passaniti (apass001@umaryland.edu ) and Dr. Toni Antalis (tantalis@som.umaryland.edu)
This course is designed to expose students to translational challenges that cancer clinicians are facing and to inspire students to tackle these problems using the tools and approaches they possess as basic scientists. Students will be introduced to both the biology of specific cancers and how patients with cancer are managed and treated. The course consists of twice weekly lectures in which a basic or translational scientist will be paired with a clinician to describe a specific disease and the major questions that need to be answered to improve treatments. Thus, the lectures will alternate between lectures on basic biology and clinical management of cancer patients. The first half of the course focuses on hereditary cancers and the second half covers sporadic cancers. In addition to attending the lectures, the students will attend weekly relevant tumor board conferences, where clinical cases are presented and discussed. During the course, each student will be assigned a faculty mentor who will help identify a clinical question or problem of current interest, and students will have the opportunity to write a concise, focused mini-review of the literature and issues related to this question along guidelines provided. GPLS 665 is required for all Cancer Biology students.
Fall Elective course (see options below*)
Semester 4 (Spring)
GPILS 647 Molecular Medicine Survival Skills (2 credits) Course Director – Nancy Fossett (nfossett@som.umaryland.edu )
The ability to communicate effectively scientific findings and new ideas not only aids the researcher in promoting his program, but often helps in the conceptualization of new areas of inquiry and generates new insights into recent discoveries. This course is designed to provide instruction in five critical areas of scientific communication that underpin a successful graduate career: 1) Grant Writing Skills; 2) Manuscript Preparation Skills; 3) Presentation Skills (preparation and delivery of an oral presentation); 4) Bio-informatics and 5) People Skills (skills necessary to find a position and conduct oneself in a professional manner). The format includes formal lectures on each topic, followed by an accompanying workshop and/or forum in which to engage in an interactive learning session. GPLS 647 is a requirement for all Molecular Medicine students.
*Elective courses
Cancer Biology students are required to complete a minimum of 2 of elective courses (normally 6-8 credits). Students have maximum flexibility in selecting electives depending on their interests, research needs, and career goals.
Fall Semester
GPLS 690 Current Topics in Vascular and Stem Cell Biology (1 credit) Course Director – Dr. Li Zhang (lizhang@som.umaryland.edu). This is a lecture and discussion course that focuses on recent advances in stem cell biology and vascular disease. The course covers a series of subjects including the nature and origin of stem cells and their application to medicine, inflammation, proteolytic mechanisms of thrombosis, atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, and vascular diseases. Faculty participating in the course are drawn from the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, and the Departments of Surgery, Physiology, Pathology, and Microbiology & Immunology. Offered in the fall semester.
GPLS 616 Molecular Mechanisms of Signal Transduction (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Jeff Winkles (jwinkles@som.umaryland.edu) –This is a popular lecture and discussion course that focuses on the molecular mechanisms of action of hormones, growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrix components, and other signaling molecules on target cells. Each week an initial lecture will introduce a specific topic followed by a second meeting in which students will discuss and critically evaluate state-of-the-art papers describing recent advances relevant to that topic. Faculty participating in the course represent the Departments of Surgery, Medicine, Physiology, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Microbiology & Immunology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Greenebaum Cancer Center. Offered in the fall semester.
GPLS 630 Fundamentals of Biostatistics (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Larry Magder, Ph.D. (lmagder@epi.umaryland.edu) – This course covers most of the basic types of analysis procedures used for continuous and discrete variables. These topics include statistical inference (p-values, confidence intervals, and hypothesis tests), t-tests, chi-square tests, power calculations, nonparametric methods, simple and multiple linear regression, ANOVA, logistic regression, and survival analysis. Offered in the Fall semester.
GPLS 701 Advanced Molecular Biology (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Lindsay Black (lblack@umaryland.edu)– A course taught principally from current primary literature, using a combination of lectures and student-directed seminars to address recent developments in DNA/RNA metabolism and regulation of gene expression, and genetic and molecular contributions to control of cellular function and disease. Offered in the fall semester.
GPLS 717 Molecular Genetics and Development of Model Organisms (2 credits) Course Director: Dr. Pablo Rabinowicz – This course covers advanced topics on cell and molecular biology, such as epigenetics, embryogenesis, and differentiation, with an emphasis in different model organisms, including the widely-used mouse, frog, zebrafish, fly, worm, and yeasts, as well as less-common models such as jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, Dictyostelium and Archaea, which are preferred to study specific processes. Offered in the fall semester.
GPLS 750 Topics in Molecular Medicine (2 credits) Course Director: Dr. Paul Welling (pwelling@umaryland.edu) – This course revolves around a series of topics that use inherited disease processes to illustrate the physiological consequences of molecular, cellular, genetic phenomena. Recent breakthroughs in the identification of disease-related genes are presented and extended to a discussion about their impact on cell and organ function. Topics change yearly, but have included: paralysis, malignant hyperthermia, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, glomerulitis-Alport's, cystic fibrosis, Liddle's syndrome, hyperinsulinemia of infancy, type II diabetes mellitus, influenza, migraine headache and neurogenic inflammation, and Duchenne dystrophy. Offered in the fall semester.
GPILS 704 Principles of Virology (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Ricardo Feldman (rfeldman@umaryland.edu) – This course serves as an introduction to the general field of virology with a concentration on pathogenesis, molecular biology and immunology of select, medically important viruses. Lecture material is drawn from both the classical and current literature. Offered in the fall semester.
GPILS 705 Basic Human Genetics I (4 credits) Course Director: Dr. O. Colin Stine – Students learn basic genetic principles as they relate to the study of human health and disease. Topics include an overview of human genetics in Mendelian genetics, clinical applications of principles, cytogenetics, molecular cytogenetics, population genetics, complex disorders and the importance and implications of genetic disease at the levels of the population and individual families. Offered in the fall semester.
Spring Semester
GPLS 624 Molecular Oncopharmacology (3 credits) Course Directors – Dr. Laure Aurelian (laurelia@umaryland.edu) and Dr. Angela Brodie (abrodie@umaryland.edu). Molecular therapy approaches are discussed within the context of modern understanding of cancer biology and target identification. State of the art approaches for cancer diagnosis and treatment are covered. Participating faculty have specific expertise in each topic, and are drawn from the Departments of Pharmacology and the Marlene and Stewart Greenbaume Cancer Center. Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 645 Cell and Systems Physiology (3 credits) Course Director – Dr. Andrea Meredith (ameredith@som.umaryland.edu). This course covers the fundamentals of cellular and organ physiology, the integrative function of physiological systems, and homeostasis. The first half of the class will focus on cellular/tissue physiology (sample topics include epithelial, muscle, neuron, bone, blood, and endocrine cell physiology), with the second half focusing on organs and systems (nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, digestive, immune, and endocrine systems). Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 716 Applied Bioinfomatics (2 credits) Course Director: Dr. Shil Dassarma (dassarma@umbi.umd.edu) This course emphasizes both the theory and application of fundamental computer-based approaches to sequence analysis, datamining, integration and interpretation of data related to genes and their function. Using a hands-on problem-based learning approach, students will acquire familiarity with computational tools useful for analysis of the structure, function, and evolution of nucleic acids and proteins. Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 702 Basic Immunology (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Martin Flajnik (mflajnik@som.umaryland.edu) – This course introduces basic concepts of immunity and the immune system, including evolutionary and comparative studies, specific and nonspecific immunity, the biology of T and B lymphocytes, the genetics of the antigen-receptor and MHC loci, immunochemistry, and the role and action of cytokines. The course is lecture-oriented, but student presentations and research paper discussions are also required. Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 709 Advanced Biochemistry (3 credits) Course Director: Dr. Alex Drohat (adroh001@umaryland.edu) - This course emphasizes protein structure and function including the following topics: protein folding and stability, thermodynamics, allosteric interations, protein structure/dynamics, the chemistry of enzyme mechanisms, steady state and pre-steady state kinetics, and methods used for characterizing proteins and enzymes including circular dichroism, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, protein fluorescence and stopped-flow techniques. Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 760 Advances in Functional Genomics (2 credits) - This course covers current technology in functional genomic research. Twelve topics are changed yearly to reflect the most current advancements in the field. Offered in the spring semester.
GPLS 607 Principles of Pharmacology (2 credits) Course Director: Dr. Neville Brooks (nbrookes@umaryland.edu) - This introductory course deals with basic principles of drug action. Topics include quantitation of drug-receptor interactions, drug distribution and elimination and molecular chemotherapeutic mechanisms. A background in biochemistry or physiology is helpful. Offered Spring semester. Offered in the spring semester.
GPILS 710 Principles of Microbial Pathogenesis (3 credits) Course Directors: Dr. Nicholas Carbonetti (ncarbone@umaryland.edu) and Dr. John Sacci (jsacc001@umaryland.edu) – This course is intended to provide a groundwork in basic principles of, and research approaches to, microbial (bacterial and parasite) pathogenesis, including adherence, toxins, secretion mechanisms, immune evasion, genetics and evolution, gene discovery, genomics and proteomics, and host-pathogen interactions. Offered in the spring semester.
Additional courses offered by other GPILS programs (see Course Catalog) may also be considered if appropriate to the student’s research goals.