Background

 

Our fundamental understanding of cancer has evolved significantly over the last decades. We now understand that cancer is not an isolated result of a genetic misstep, but a complex ecosystem of cancer cells with its neighbouring non-cancerous host cells.

 

This intricate structural interdependency between tumour cells, immune cells, and stromal cells is called the tumour microenvironment (TME). It is this TME that aids cancer initiation and progression in genetically ‘faulty’ cells. And thus, it becomes the next natural step to decode the working of the tumour microenvironment for cancer prevention.

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The obvious challenge now becomes visualisation.

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For decades, cancer studies have utilised traditional bulk RNA sequencing as the gold standard. While bulk RNAseq allows for the characterisation of distinct cell types in the tumour, it does not serve our purpose of visualising cellular orientation in these cancerous neighbourhoods. Think of it as taking apart an orange, juicing it, and trying to figure out which fibre in which slice each drop of juice came from while holding the glass.

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This is solved by single-cell imaging. Novel techniques use spatial technologies to instead take apart this orange, and study each slice whole, while locating specific fibres across its length, breadth, and depth. This 3D mapping is making it easier for us to understand the cellular interplay in an ever-changing tumour microenvironment.

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This course is aimed at

    ->  building upon your understanding of different cell types and their functions

    ->  interpreting their interplay by looking at cell-cell interactions

    ->  understanding the structure and function of TME in cancer initiation

           and progression

    ->  learning about different techniques in transcriptomic research

           (RNA sequencing, single-cell etc)

    ->  and appreciating why need to look at a subcellular RNA-level

            to fully understand cancer at all

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By the end of the course, students will have the option of working on a

presentation or a brief literature review (individually) for those interested

in working on their scientific writing.

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Evaluation & Certification

Students will be evaluated throughout the programme based on their engagement during group sessions, the quality and timeliness of assigned work, and their creativity, and contribution to group tasks.

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Upon successful completion of the project, students will receive a Letter of Engagement. An End-of-Project Recommendation Letter may also be provided where appropriate, based on the mentor’s evaluation of the student's performance and contribution.​

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Research and Project Expectations

The programme involves active participation in group discussions, research paper discussions, assigned work, independent exploration, and the development of a final research output. Students are expected to engage consistently and contribute meaningfully throughout the programme.

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