A Bioinformatic Approach to Enhance Undergraduate Student Understanding of the Cancer-Immunity Cycle

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Immuno-oncology and cancer immunotherapy are rapidly advancing fields.
• There is a need to train future scientists in tumor immunology.
• Tumor immunology is currently underrepresented in undergraduate curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel pedagogical strategy to foster undergraduate interest in tumor immunology.
• To enhance student understanding of the Cancer-Immunity Cycle.
• To align with American Association of Immunologists' education guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Utilized RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas.
• Students performed Kaplan-Meier survival analyses on Cancer-Immunity Cycle genes.
• Correlated gene expression with tumor-infiltrating immune cells using bioinformatics tools.

Main Results:

• Identified prognostic Cancer-Immunity Cycle genes.
• Linked gene expression to immune cell infiltration and patient outcomes.
• Demonstrated improved student understanding of cancer immunology concepts via pre-/post-assessments.

Conclusions:

• The novel pedagogical strategy effectively enhances undergraduate understanding of cancer immunology.
• The approach successfully integrates primary literature and bioinformatics analysis.
• The project offers adaptable methods for diverse student populations in immuno-oncology education.