The course will review all clinically applied and experimental strategies to treat cancer. Acquired resistance to cancer drugs will be the focus of the course. We will introduce the principles and mechanistic aspects of each strategy, as well as introduce the major drugs currently in clinical use.
MODULE 1: Introduction to cancer, genome, TME, tumor heterogeneity and types of mutations. Major treatments: surgery, radiation and cytotoxic drugs
MODULE 2: Kinase inhibitors, tyrosine kinases and ser/thr kinases, types of inhibitors, approved drugs like imatinib and erlotinib, resistance to kinase inhibitors: persisters and mechanisms.
MODULE 3: Biotherapeutics and monoclonal antibodies, interferons, humanization of mAbs, mechanisms of action of mAbs, ADCC, radio-immunotherapy, immunomodulation, antibody conjugates (ADC), trastuzumab, rituximab and cetuximab.
MODULE 4: Immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint blockers, adoptive therapy and CAR-T cells, cancer vaccines, cell therapy. Major drugs: ipilimumab, nivolumab and atezolimumab.
• Optional topics
• Angiogenesis inhibitors, the angiogenic switch, direct and indirect inhibitors, bevacizumab/Avastin, Thalidomide, patient resistance
• Endocrine manipulations
• Development of drugs for clinical application in oncology: IP, disease models, high throughput screens, synthetic lethality and drug combinations
• Clinical trials, adverse effects and assessment of clinical response
• Novel strategies: gene therapy, nano particle (delivery), degraders, aptamers and recombinant proteins
• The perspective of a medical oncologist (guest speaker)