Suggested Elective CoursesSuggested Elective Courses

A minor in Cancer Biology requires 9 units of CBIO coursework and 2 Cancer Biology GIDP faculty as members of your supervisory committee for the comprehensive exam.  A total of 5 are required for the committee. If you are not a CBIO student but wish to minor in CBIO, please schedule a time to meet with the program director in order to best tailor which CBIO classes you should take -- it will probably encompass several of the core classes. For current CBIO students, the following list are potential electives that will count toward a CBIO minor. 

CBIO 515 - Mechanisms of Human Disease (4 unit, Spring) - Briehl

Biochemical, structural, and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs, which cause and are caused by diseases. For graduate students training for a career in biomedical research. This course has a lab component. 

CBIO 524 - Contrast Agents, Molecular Imaging and Kinetics (3 units, Spring) - Matsunaga

Current topics in drug discovery and molecular imaging involve the integration of a series of research modalities.  The pharmaceutical Industry uses these modalities in their developmental and regulatory efforts to attain new indications.  As well, the medical device community is continually developing new techniques to enhance medical imaging for the earliest detection of disease. 

CBIO 531 - Nutrition and Cancer (2 units, Spring) - Limesand

This course takes a "bench to bedside" approach in discussing the impact of nutrition on cancer. Students will get a fundamental understanding of how particular nutrients impact tumor promotion or prevention, the mechanisms of action, and translatability of these findings to the clinic. 

CBIO 550 - Drug Disposition and Metabolism (2 units, Spring) - Cherrington

Principles of absorption, distribution and excretion of drugs, with emphasis on mechanisms of drug metabolism.

CBIO 595a - Oncogene & Signal Transduction (1 unit, Fall) - Heimark

The exchange of scholarly information and/or secondary research, usually in a small group setting. Instruction often includes lectures by several different persons. Research projects may or may not be required of course registrants

CBIO 602a - General & Systems Toxicology (3 units, Fall) - Cherrington

Survey of tissue and organ system effects of environmental chemicals. Introduction to adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of chemicals; toxicology of liver, lung, kidney, central nervous system, skin, reproductive systems, hematopoeitic system, and immune system. Introduction to carcinogenesis and developmental toxicology.

CBIO 630A- Cell Communication & Signal Transduction (3 units, Spring) - Smith

Principles of molecular signaling regulating membrane, cytoplasmic, and nuclear events in eukaryotic cells. Topics include extracellular signals, intracellular transduction pathways, modulation of cell signaling, and biological processes controlled by specific signaling pathways. Focuses more on protein kinases and extracellular signals. 

CBIO 630B - Cell Communication & Signal Transduction (3 units, Fall) - Zhang

Principles of molecular signaling regulating membrane, cytoplasmic, and nuclear events in eukaryotic cells. Topics include extracellular signals, intracellular transduction pathways, modulation of cell signaling, and biological processes controlled by specific signaling pathways. Focuses on more transcriptional regulation and intracellular signals. 

CMM 579 - Art of Scientific Discovery (3 units, Fall) - Gordon

Techniques of posing questions and solving puzzles encountered in scientific research, with emphasis on life sciences and mathematics.  Graduate-level requirements include use of all techniques in a semester-long research project and final paper

CMM 695d - Human Genetic Disease Colloquium (3 units, Spring) 

The primary goal of this course is to teach strategies for thinking about any disease, by understanding different levels of genetic causation and the evolution of disease diagnosis and classification.

PCOL601A - Epigenetics in Development & Disease (1 unit, Fall) - Futscher

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that occur in the absence of changes in DNA sequence. Topics include overview and concepts of epigenetics, histones and their modifications, DNA methylation, chromatin structure, RNAi, model organisms, nuclear transplantation and genome reprogramming, epigenetic and epigenomic technologies, and therapeutic agents that target epigenetic mechanisms.

PHSC 670 - Principles in Drug Discovery, Design, Development (3 units, Fall) 

An introduction into principles of drug discovery, design, and development covering the process and tools such as computational chemistry, combinatorical chemistry, and subjects such as molecular target identification, drug receptor interactions, DNA and proteins as molecular targets, drug metabolism, and drug delivery systems.