BIOAP 4020

Cell Signaling and Cancer

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

This course explores the molecular underpinnings of cancer through the lens of signal transduction and cell cycle regulation. Students will examine how extracellular signals are transmitted through intracellular pathways to govern cell fate decisions, and how dysregulation of these pathways contributes to uncontrolled proliferation and tumorigenesis. Topics include growth factor coupled signal transduction, the cell cycle and its regulation, and therapeutic strategies targeting aberrant signaling networks and cell division.

Prerequisites BIOMG 3320 or BIOMG 1350; or corequisites: BIOMG 3300 or BIOMG 3310 or BIOMG 3320 or equivalent .

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Describe cancer as a disorder of cell proliferation, explaining how dysregulation of growth signals and impaired control of the cell cycle lead to inappropriate cell proliferation.
• Diagram major cell signaling pathways (e.g., RTK, GPCR, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, Wnt, Notch) and explain their role in normal cells.
• Describe the phases of the eukaryotic cell cycle and the molecular machinery that governs transitions between them.
• Explain how aberrations in signaling pathways and cell cycle regulation lead to development of cancer.
• Interpret experimental data from primary literature.
• Describe how current research is applied toward developing new cancer therapies and cite issues related to access to cancer treatment, in the USA and globally.

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