ASIP 2009 Summer Academy
Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease
Solid Tumors: Transcripts, Tyrosine Kinases, and Therapeutics
Hilton Arlington, Arlington VA
June 6-8, 2009

“PathPack: Solid Tumors” – an Online Self-Study version of the ASIP 2009 Summer Academy
www.pathologyeducation.org
September 2009 – December 2011

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The 2009 ASIP Summer Academy, an educational course in the Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease series, will focus on cancer pathobiology, genetics and new therapeutic approaches in personalized medicine. Fundamental aspects of the histopathology, natural history, and the molecular basis of neoplasia, with a focus on several major forms of cancers of the breast, colon, lung, liver, and brain will be discussed. The course will begin with coverage of essential concepts in cancer biology. In this introduction, basic principles of cancer biology, molecular carcinogenesis, and cancer genetics will be presented, using examples from major forms of human cancer. Subsequently, the molecular pathobiology of human cancers will be described for lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, and glioblastomas. These subsections of the course will introduce features of the natural history of these diseases and important molecular pathways that drive tumorigenesis and progression of these diseases. The molecular pathways that are discussed will highlight potential targets for development of novel therapies and utilization of biomarkers for disease detection, diagnosis, and prognosis.

Pathology is a medical science that deals with all aspects of disease, emphasizing the nature, causes, and development of abnormal conditions. Pathobiology represents the basic science of disease-related research, focusing on mechanisms of disease, and the cellular and molecular bases of disease pathogenesis. In recent years, the focus of pathobiology research has been centered upon molecular mechanisms. Hence, molecular pathobiology reflects the state-of-the-art with respect to the molecular mechanisms of disease. Research aimed at development of a greater understanding of the molecular basis of human cancer has uncovered numerous genes, proteins, and pathways that are involved in carcinogenesis, tumorigenesis, and cancer progression. With the identification of these important biomarkers in specific cancer types, new molecular diagnostics and targeted therapies have emerged that exploit our understanding of the molecular basis of these diseases. Many basic science investigators that conduct disease-related research at the molecular, cellular, or biochemical level lack exposure to or formal training in general and systemic pathology. Additional training in general and systemic pathology enhances the ability of these basic scientists to understand the causes of disease, manifestations of disease, and disease processes that they investigate. General pathology typically includes cell and molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and immunology, as they relate to our contemporary understanding of the pathogenesis of disease. Systemic pathology is focused on the description of specific disease processes and manifestations, including both histopathology and the correlative and causal relationships between genotype and phenotype.