Cancer Immunology: The Core Concepts
The ultimate guide to cancer immunology for the busy biotech professional. A clear, focused explanation of the cancer-immune dynamics, providing the perfect foundation for immuno-oncology.
- 21 Total Videos
- Total runtime: 171 minutes
- 5 Major Sections
What's Inside?
Explore the sequential sections of the course, below.
The Essentials
First, to get our feet underneath us, we go over the core essentials:
- What is cancer?
- What is the immune system?
The answers to these questions may surprise you.
Total runtime: 21 minutes
Total videos: 3
The Cancer Immunity Cycle
Then we dive into the Cancer-Immunity Cycle; a 7-step process that describes how our immune system detects and destroy cancer.
This concept sets the foundation for the rest of the course.
Total runtime: 3 minutes
Total Videos: 1
Innate Immune Recognition
Now that we’ve built our foundation, we begin to explore the initiation of the anti-cancer immune response.
In this section we discuss how cancer cell-intrinsic cell stress results in the activation of cells like Natural Killers (NK), Macrophages, and Dendritic Cells (DCs).
Total Runtime: 20 minutes
Total Videos: 4
Cancer Antigens & Adaptive Immunity
Now that the innate immune response is in fully swing, we turn our attention to the adaptive response.
But, before we can really sink our teeth into T and B cell biology, we need to take a step back to discuss what makes a good “cancer antigen” and learn how our immune system is able to detect them.
Total Runtime: 18 minutes
Total Videos: 3
T Cell Priming & T Cell Activity
Okay, now to the good stuff. T cells are probably the most important, well-studied, and influential cell types in all of immuno-oncology.
In these two videos we explore exactly how T cells are activated by “professional APCs” in the lymph node, and then discuss the anti-cancer functions of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
Total Runtime: 19 minutes
Total Videos: 2
B Cells, Plasma Cells, & Antibodies
If T cells are the foot soldiers out in the mud, B cells are the archers on the battlements, killing from afar.
In this section, we explore exactly how B cells differentiate into plasma cells and how the subsequent antibody secretion results in direct cancer cell death.
Total Runtime: 23 minutes
Total Videos: 2
Immune Memory
Immune memory is incredibly important in the anti-cancer immune response – particularly for the protection against recurrence.
In this lesson, we lay out the most important types of memory B and memory T cells and discuss what makes them “tick” – get it, like a clock. Tick!
Total Runtime: 12 minutes
Total Videos: 1
Cancer Immune Evasion
I’ll be honest, this is probably the most important part of the course.
Understanding how cancer evades the immune system, and then combatting these tactics, is the foundation for cancer immunotherapy.
Total Runtime: 55 minutes
Total Videos: 4
Jeffrey Martin, PhD
Dr. Jeff Martin is a cancer biologist with a PhD in Cancer Genetics and over a decade of experience in immuno-oncology. As the Founder of Oncoleader, Jeff currently advises biotech professionals, providing expert insights on the best ways to navigate the current trends in the immuno-oncology industry.
