Cancer Biology and Treatment

Written primarily for mid-to-upper level undergraduates, this primer will introduce students to topics at the forefront of the subject that are being applied to probe biological problems, or to address the most pressing issues facing society. These topics will include those that form the cornerstone of contemporary research, helping students to make the transition to active researcher. This primer provides an overview of the complex processes underpinning cancer development and progression along with a summary of cancer treatment strategies, emphasising the development of targeted molecular therapies and the opportunities they provide.It takes a contemporary and integrated approach, encompassing debates on genetics, epigenetics, and cancer addictions, and highlighting the remaining challenges and future research directions to advance the field.

Aysha Divan has a background in biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology and completed her PhD at Sheffield University UK, in cancer biology. She has 15 years of teaching experience and is currently an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK. She also has experience in pedagogical research and curriculum development at Masters and Undergraduate level. Aysha has authored a number of publications in cancer biology,pedagogical research in higher education, and textbooks published by Oxford University Press (OUP): Communication Skills for the Biosciences - a graduate guide (2009), and a co-edited textbook, Tools and Techniques in Biomolecular Sciences (2013). She has also co-authored a third book: Molecular Biology: AVery Short Introduction (2016) published by OUP. She has presented at national and international conferences and is currently Faculty Director of Student Education in the Faculty of Biological Sciences at Leeds.Janice Royds has a background in biochemistry and molecular pathology with over 35 years' experience in academic teaching and research in the field of cancer studies. She gained her PhD at Sheffield University, UK on the diagnostic significance of different forms of glycolytic enzymes, with special emphasis on enolase. Her first academic post was at Sheffield University where she worked on genetic changes in cancer and then moved to Otago University, New Zealand where she taught undergraduatemedical courses on pathology and undertook an extensive programme of research into deregulation of molecular pathways in cancer. Janice has co-authored at least 100 original scientific papers and has co-edited a textbook, Tools and Techniques in Biomolecular Sciences (2013), as well as co-authoringMolecular Biology: A Very Short Introduction (2016), both for Oxford University Press.