Basic Information

 

This course is about molecular, cellular and genetic aspects of normal and abnormal development, which includes cancer. Through the use of animal models such as flies, frogs and zebrafish, we learn the underlying aspects of development , and how these processes can be altered to lead to cancer and other abnormalities.

 

The course is divided into 2 main topics: developmental biology and cancer biology. Similar to other BIOSCIs, the mid-semester test and exam test content from different modules:

• Mid-semester test = Module 1 (Developmental Biology)

• Exam = Module 2-4 (Cancer)

​

​

Laboratory Component

 

There are 6 labs for this course and each lab has an associated pre-lab quiz which needs to be completed before attending the lab. The pre-labs are straightforward, and answers are generally within the lab guide. It is important to have pre-read the lab materials and watched the videos associated with each lab before attending. The labs are based on lecture content so it is important to be up to date on the relevant lectures. The assignments are typically due 2 days after the lab (but may differ due to holidays, etc) and are submitted to Canvas in a Word document. 

​

The labs themselves are very, very fun! We get to experience working with live specimens, and the labs are organised very well - there are videos prepared by the lab technician to guide you through the process, and the TAs are very helpful. You have access to the assignments during the lab - use the time to ask the TA’s for help! They are very knowledgeable and will either give you the answer directly or lead you down the right thinking path.

​

• Lab 1: Sea urchin

• Lab 2: Drosophila enhancer traps in imaginal discs and sexual dimorphism

• Lab 3: Gene hierarchies and anterior to posterior patterning

• Lab 4: Cancer museum

• Lab 5: Zebrafish blood vessel development

• Lab 6: Zebrafish development

​

​

Lecture Content

 

Mechanisms of Development

Dr. Hilary Sheppard takes the first 10 lectures. She goes through everything related to general development, using model organisms like the nematode, frogs and fruit flies. Most of the basic development process is the same in each organism, but it is important to learn the distinguishing features and how they all differ from each other. There is also a lecture on senescence (aging). Following on from Hilary’s lectures, Dr. Jonathan Astin delivers 1 lecture on zebrafish development, focusing on its vascular development, which will be relevant for labs 5 and 6 later on in the  semester.

​

Cellular Changes in Cancer

Dr. Dean Singleton teaches the next 9 lectures, covering the main hallmarks of cancer and how the disruption of normal processes can lead to the development of cancer. This module is extremely content heavy with a lot of pathways and genes to understand.

​

Cancer Biology

The following 5 lectures, delivered by Dr. Rod Dunbar, apply the hallmarks of cancer established in the previous module to specific cancer types. We covered melanoma, cervical and colorectal cancer, and also had 1 lecture on the immune system and cancer. This module is quite straightforward, but there is a lot of memorising involved, especially with distinguishing between the different subtypes of the same cancer.

 

Cancer Metastasis

Dr. Kate Angel delivered the last set of 5 lectures, which focuses on the EMT cascade and how cancer cells invade distant sites of the body. Her module was very well organised and enjoyable to learn.

​​

​

Personal review

If you enjoyed the developmental biology and cancer modules in BIOSCI 201, then I highly recommend this course. The content is very interesting and relevant, and the course is organised well. There is a lot of memorisation required however, especially with all the signalling pathways, genes, proteins and molecules involved, but they do come together quite nicely and it's doable, I promise. The labs make up for this - honestly, this course had my favourite labs of my degree as we got to work with live organisms. The sea urchin lab was a class favourite; we collected gametes from live sea urchins, fertilised them and got to watch early development (cleavage) under the microscope! 

​

Updated: 2026