Study Program
- Overview
- General Organization
- Schedule and Calendar
- Special Note:
- Semester 1: 'Frontiers in Biosciences' (Winter Term 2022/2023)
- Semester 2: 'Focus Bioscience' (Summer Term 2023)
- Semester 3: 'Biolab' and 'Working in Bioscience'
- Semester 4: 'Master Thesis and Oral Defense'
- > Interested in our program?
- > Do you have questions?
Overview
The Major "Cancer Biology", which is part of the Master Program "Molecular Biosciences" of the Faculty of Biosciences, University of Heidelberg, has been designed to cover all relevant aspects of cancer research. It offers an outstanding environment for Master thesis research and, at a later stage, also for doctoral thesis research. It provides splendid interdisciplinary training and research opportunities in basic, translational, and clinical cancer research. The fields which are covered include molecular and cellular tumor biology, biophysics and medical physics, structural and functional genomics and proteomics, systems biology, tumor immunology, tumor virology, tumor epidemiology, toxicology, and translational oncology.
Many DKFZ laboratories are incorporated into our innovative Major "Cancer Biology" Program. This allows the students to experience cutting edge science and to interact with internationally leading scientists at a very early stage of their career.
General Organization
The regular study program comprises 4 semesters
Schedule and Calendar
All updates, more details, also from other majors of this Master program, may also be obtained from the LSF online directory of the University.
Choose the link "Course Overview" on the right, this will bring you to the "Vorlesungsverzeichnis", choose semester of interest, scroll down to "Fakultät für Biowissenschaften" - "Biologie" - "Master Molecular Biosciences" - "Cancer Biology"
Special Note:
Major Cancer Biology is affected by the Corona pandemic:
- Lecture series in the past winter term 2021/2022 were offered online via various video conference streaming tools.
Planning for the upcoming winter term 2022/2023 is in the seminar room but may be returned to virtual or hybrid mode depending on the situation in autumn/winter. - Summer term 2022: mainly classroom teaching but due to room restrictions partially in online mode.
- In all practical courses the safety and hygiene concept, distancing rules, etc., of DKFZ has to be strictly followed.
- Starting 16. March 2022, access to DKFZ is restricted to fully vaccinated individuals. As of 1. October 2022 full vaccination is defined as three-time vaccination with an accredited vaccine.
Semester 1: 'Frontiers in Biosciences' (Winter Term 2022/2023)
"Crash Course"
- Theoretical and Practical Training in Basic Laboratory Methods and Techniques - mainly for incoming students with little practical experience in standard molecular biological methods
- Participants are identified and assigned to the course during the Welcome Events
- Dates and location: week 31. October - 4. November 2022, DKFZ Teaching Lab
- Instructors: Dr. Richard Harbottle and co-workers
Lecture Series and Tutorials on Molecular Biosciences
mandatory for all Master students of all majors, centrally organized by the Faculty of Biosciences
- 1. Lecture period (Frontiers I):
19. October - 29. November 2022 [lectures paused: 26. Oct. - 1. Nov.] (date of written exam: 19. December 2022; retake: January 2023, exact date t.b.d./t.b.a.) - 2. Lecture period (Frontiers II):
9. January - 10. March 2023
Week 1: Core Competencies: i.a. Statistics, Science communication, Scientific publishing, Ethics in science (mandatory attendance)
Weeks 2-9: all 7 Majors of the program organize 2-week modules ("Minors") of lectures and tutorials (choice of two topics, preferably different from their own Major, is mandatory for all students)
Lectures and tutorials take place from 8:15 - 9:45 am; hybrid mode of classroom lectures and Zoom live-stream. May vary depending on group size and availability of seminar rooms as well as pandemic situation.
3-week Practical Courses with Student Seminars
two out of seven are mandatory for each student, one before (module Frontiers-I) and one after (module Frontiers-II) the Christmas break
(course content may be subject to change to be in line with DKFZ safety rules)
- HP-F1: Molecular, Genetic, Cellular and Bioinformatic Approaches in Cancer Research
date: 7.-25. November 2022
capacity: 8 students - HP-F2: Applied Tumor Immunity, Bioinformatics, and Stress Response in Stem Cells
date: 7.-25. November 2022
capacity: 8 students - HP-F3: Epitranscriptomics, Crystallography, and Organoid Cancer Models
date: 28. November - 16. December 2022
capacity: 8 students
- HP-F4: Biomedical Imaging and Radiation Oncology
date: 9.-27. January 2023
capacity: 8 students - HP-F5: Advanced Methods in Cell Biology
date: 30. January - 17. February 2023
capacity: 8 students [4 Major Cancer Biology + 4 Major MCB] - HP-F6: 'Oncolytic Viruses' and 'Gene Therapy'
date: 23. January - 3. February 2023 + 13.-17. February 2023
capacity: 6 students - HP-F7: Transcriptional and Translational Control of Cell Fate
date: 20. February - 10. March 2023
capacity: 6 students
Semester 2: 'Focus Bioscience' (Summer Term 2023)
Module 1: Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer
Lecture Series and Tutorials on "Molecular Principles of Cancer Development"
Lecture period: 11. April - 24. May 2023
Lectures and tutorials take place from 8:15 - 9:45
Location: Buchleither Seminar Room, TP3 Bldg., INF 580
The lecture series recapitulates various chapters of the book "The Biology of Cancer" by Robert Weinberg.
Date of written examination: Friday, 2. June 2023, 10:00-12:00
3-week Practical Courses with Student Seminars
one course is mandatory for each student
- HP-F8: Components and Mechanisms of Signal Transduction; 17. April - 12. May 2023 (capacity: 8 students + 2 from Major MCB)
- HP-F9: Cancer Genomics, Proteomics and Murine Tumor Models; 3 planning days ahead in March, 12 practical days in the period 17. April - 19. May 2023 (capacity: 8 students)
- HP-F10: Epigenomics and Cancer; 17. April - 5. May 2023 (capacity: 8 students)
Module 2: Tumor Immunology, Virology and Cancer
Lecture Series and Tutorials on "Tumor Immunology and Tumor Virology"
Lecture period:
12. June - 30. June 2023 (Tumor Immunology lectures)
3. July - 28. July 2023 (Tumor Virology lectures)
Lectures and tutorials take place from 08:15 - 09:45
Location: various DKFZ and TP3 seminar rooms
Date of written examination: Thursday 3. August 2023, 10:00-11:30
3-week Practical Courses with Student Seminars
one course is mandatory for each student
- HP-F11: Tumor Heterogeneity and Proteomics; 19. June - 7. July 2023 (capacity: 8 students)
- HP-F12: Immunological Methods; 15. June - 7. July 2023 (capacity: 8 students)
- HP-F13: Molecular and Immunological Methods in Tumor Virology; 3.-21. July 2023 (capacity: 8 students)
Semester 3: 'Biolab' and 'Working in Bioscience'
Each student undertakes two lab internships - regular minimum duration: 6 weeks lab work (expendable for up to 6 months), followed by report writing time - that consist of a small, hypothesis-driven scientific research project, either in the laboratory of a Major Faculty member (Module 'Biolab'; for choice of supervisor see "Faculty" list in the navigation bar on the left), or in the context of another Major, within a foreign research program, or in a company with oncological research (Module 'Working in Bioscience').
Both projects can be done within the Major, only one of them can be done externally.
External projects require the approval of the Coordinator.
Semester 4: 'Master Thesis and Oral Defense'
The Module 'Masters Thesis Work' lasts six months and is done in the laboratory of one of the teachers in the Cancer Biology program. You undertake a laboratory research project relevant to the Major, write a thesis, and defend it in an oral presentation.