Assignment Details:

Title: A critique of the statement: “Advances in ‘OMICS’ technologies have revolutionized cancer treatment”.

Instructions for completing the essay assignment (please read and follow all the instructions numbered 1 to 9 below before beginning):

1. Prepare a structured essay (including the compulsory sections as detailed below in number 5) considering the material presented in the module and in your further reading, to reflect on and critically discuss this statement.

2. Provide several relevant examples to support your points.

3. There is a 3000-word limit (strict maximum; penalties for having more than this), with text at least 11 points (see number 7 for submission details and if you need to handwrite).

4. Please cite at least 15 relevant references in your essay using Harvard or Vancouver style; place the reference list at the end of your essay. Note that this does not count in your word limit.

5. Include in your essay the following compulsory sections i to iv (60% of marks) in addition to components of the module and your wider reading that you consider most relevant and why, especially for the future directions in ‘OMICS’ analyses for cancer pharmacology, in discussing the statement in the essay title.

Compulsory sections (i to iv):

(i) Discuss the role of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical trials and current barriers for clinical translation.

(ii) Comment on the relative merits of developments to overcome acquired drug resistance and improve therapies based on ‘OMICS’ technologies.

(iii) Define the terms ‘Systems Medicine’ and ‘P4 Medicine’ and to what extent ‘OMICS’ technologies are contributing to how ‘Systems Medicine’ and ‘P4 Medicine’ may advance current treatment options.

(iv) Include in your essay a 250 to 300-word (maximum) summary of YOUR CHOICE of only ONE of the following WEBINAR OPTIONS (see next page) and its relevance to the title of this essay.