Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH New Targets and Drugs in Cancer Therapy
School	Cancer Studies
Department	Inst of Cancer / Genomic Sci
Module Code	02 33937
Module Lead	Dr Sheela Jayaraman, Deputy John Halsall
Level	Honours Level
Credits	40
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	It is a requirement that students achieve a mark of at least 35% in their summative exam
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Tutorial-7 hours Practical Classes and workshops-23 hours Guided independent study-350 hours Total: 400 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module will introduce the student to state of the art efforts to identify novel targets and develop new drugs for cancer treatment. The overall structure of the module is pathology based, and the methodologies used have relevance to a wide range of diseases that have a significant impact on modern society. This module focuses on the identification and validation of targets for the treatment of cancer as this is a major killer in the UK. The module will show how expression data can be analysed by bioinformatics techniques to identify new targets and will introduce the student to modern drug development and how industry works with academia and clinicians to develop new treatments.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module, students should be able to: Demonstrate a critical understanding of the basis of current approach(es) to gene expression analysis, and the ability to interpret these data Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the importance of identifying drug targets that have therapeutic relevance, and the impact of ongoing research in this area Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the current experimental methodologies used to identify new targets for cancer therapy Demonstrate an understanding of the principal pathological changes associated with cancer. Demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge of the steps involved in validation and development of new drugs for cancer therapy
Assessment	33937-01 : Overall module mark : Mixed (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	The module is assessed by a combination of a 3 hour written examination (50%) and course work (50%) - experimental data interpretation - practical write up Reassessment: Academic failure: If a student fails the module then they will be required to repeat the failed components only. Failure to submit: Submission of coursework is compulsory for the programme. Students are advised that failure to submit without justifiable reason could result in failure of the module. Students will be required to submit outstanding work to meet the module outcomes.
Other
Reading List