– Word limit – 2000 words
– For 2000 word essay, 30-60 citations are needed (the
– Word limit – 2000 words
– For 2000 word essay, 30-60 citations are needed (therefore, 15-20 sources (primary data sources that were published within the last 7 years) I assume?)
– include illustrations/figures/images/tables from referenced sources or design new figures/tables (each should have a legend)
DETAILED ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT (incl. suggested references as a starting point)
Suggested structure:
1. Abstract (very brief) – 50-100 words
2. Introduction (brief)
– Define the topic and say what you understand
– What are the main issues
– Outline the way/order in which you are going to discuss
3. Main text
– Divide into subjects to discuss: this is the part where you are addressing the essay questions
– Divide into sub-headings/sections
4. Conclusion (brief)
5. Bibliography (please do not forget this!) – not included in the word count
– Cite primary rather than review manuscriipts
– Focus on recent papers (published within last 7 years)
6. Illustrations
– Figures, figure legends and tables should be selected to enhance eand reinfornce the main topics and messages
– Cite the source of each illustration
– If you design and draw original figures/tables, please state this in the legend
Guidance on bibliography:
– Conduct a comprehensive literature review
– Read recent reviews
– Search for original articles
– Keep track of publications to include in your essay
– Cite primary/original studies that were published in the last 7 years
– For a 2000 word article, please consider including 30-60 citations (note: I’m not sure about how many references are needed, but I think that 15-20 should be enough)
Suggested topics to include in your essay:
1. Introduction: The clinical challenge of melanoma
– Melanoma epidemiology, available treatments/approaches
– Immune responses in melanoma
– Introduce the central theme of the essay, what target molecules are used therapy
– Why are targets expressed on the cancer cell surface may be good for the development of therapies?
– Introduce CSPG4.
2. CSPG4 in health: Structure, normal expression in tissues/cells, functions
3. CSPG4 in melanoma
– Reported pro-tumour functions, especially in melanoma
– Immunogenicity, may trigger immune responses in melanoma
4. Therapeutic approaches
– Mimotope vaccines/anti-idiotypic antibodies
– CAR T-cell (400 words)
– Antibody-drug conjugate
– Monoclonal IgG antibodies
5. Discussion/Conclusion:
– What does the future hold for these therapies?
– How could these therapies help patients and how will they fit with existing drugs in the clinic?
– What are the areas requiring further understanding/research, clinical testing?
– Summarise the take home messages
Suggested references as starting point:
1. Combining CSPG4-CAR and CD20-CCR for treatment of metastatic melanoma. Teppert K, Winter N, Herbel V, Brandes C, Lennartz S, Engert F, Kaiser A, Schaser T, Lock D. Front Immunol. 2023 Oct 11;14:1178060. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1178060.
2. Targeting the melanoma-associated antigen CSPG4 with HLA-C*07:01-restricted T-cell receptors. Kropp KN, Fatho M, Huduti E, Faust M, Lübcke S, Lennerz V, Paschen A, Theobald M, Wölfel T, Wölfel C. Front Immunol. 2023 Oct 2;14:1245559. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1245559.
3. Bispecific antibodies redirect synthetic agonistic receptor modified T cells against melanoma. Märkl F, Benmebarek MR, Keyl J, Cadilha BL, Geiger M, Karches C, Obeck H, Schwerdtfeger M, Michaelides S, Briukhovetska D, Stock S, Jobst J, Müller PJ, Majed L, Seifert M, Klüver AK, Lorenzini T, Grünmeier R, Thomas M, Gottschlich A, Klaus R, Marr C, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Rothenfusser S, Levesque MP, Heppt MV, Endres S, Klein C, Kobold S. J Immunother Cancer. 2023 May;11(5):e006436.
4. Anti-cancer pro-inflammatory effects of an IgE antibody targeting the melanoma-associated antigen chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4. Chauhan J, Grandits M, Palhares LCGF, Mele S, Nakamura M, López-Abente J, Crescioli S, Laddach R, Romero-Clavijo P, Cheung A, Stavraka C, Chenoweth AM, Sow HS, Chiaruttini G, Gilbert AE, Dodev T, Koers A, Pellizzari G, Ilieva KM, Man F, Ali N, Hobbs C, Lombardi S, Lionarons DA, Gould HJ, Beavil AJ, Geh JLC, MacKenzie Ross AD, Healy C, Calonje E, Downward J, Nestle FO, Tsoka S, Josephs DH, Blower PJ, Karagiannis P, Lacy KE, Spicer J, Karagiannis SN, Bax HJ. Nat Commun. 2023 Apr 25;14(1):2192. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37811-3.
5. Proteomic profile of melanoma cell-derived small extracellular vesicles in patients’ plasma: a potential correlate of melanoma progression. Pietrowska M, Zebrowska A, Gawin M, Marczak L, Sharma P, Mondal S, Mika J, Polańska J, Ferrone S, Kirkwood JM, Widlak P, Whiteside TL. J Extracell Vesicles. 2021 Feb;10(4):e12063. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12063.
6. A Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Delivering a DNA Mono-Alkylating Payload to Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan (CSPG4)- Expressing Melanoma. Hoffmann RM, Crescioli S, Mele S, Sachouli E, Cheung A, Chui CK, Andriollo P, Jackson PJM, Lacy KE, Spicer JF, Thurston DE, Karagiannis SN. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Apr 22;12(4):1029. doi: 10.3390/cancers12041029.
7. Clinical-Scale Production of CAR-T Cells for the Treatment of Melanoma Patients by mRNA Transfection of a CSPG4-Specific CAR under Full GMP Compliance. Wiesinger M, März J, Kummer M, Schuler G, Dörrie J, Schuler-Thurner B, Schaft N. Cancers (Basel). 2019 Aug 16;11(8):1198. doi: 10.3390/cancers11081198.
8. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 enhanced melanoma motility and growth requires a cysteine in the core protein transmembrane domain. Yang J, Price MA, Wanshura LEC, He J, Yi M, Welch DR, Li G, Conner S, Sachs J, Turley EA, McCarthy JB. Melanoma Res. 2019 Aug;29(4):365-375. doi: 10.1097/CMR.0000000000000574.
The essay is designed to:
– Reinforce and extend the topics we cover in class
– Strengthen your understanding of the subject
– Extend your knowledge outside the class lecture boundaries
– Provide up-to-date data and developments on a topic that is receiving attention in the literature
– Get you to critically read and critically think about what you read in the literature
– Put forward a complete evidence-based narrative within the constrains of word limits and time (what to include or not include)
The essay must:
– Address the questions
– Describe: identify the main features of some thing or some process
– Discuss: present a logical argument about …
– Be focused: what disease? Which cells/drugs? What does this mean for patient outcomes/treatment?
– Be proportional: what will be the main subject of the essay? This is where the emphasis should be
Gather your material/evidence from literature
– Start by conductig a literature search
– Read 3-4 review articles on the subject
– Read recent studies
– Gather primary research evidence and categorise the part of the essay each would be discussed
– Keep a record of the sources you used so that you can find them again, and also to include in your bibliography
– Benchmarking: read similar articles; see how authors compose manuscriipts
How do I do it?
– Form an outline of your essay with relevant sub-sections
– Always include a short summary/abstract
– Compartmentalize your essay (introduction, main text subject sections, conclusion)
– Keep track of publications you read
– Provide a thoughtful conclusion
– Don’t forget the bibliography in the end
– Include illustrations – figures and tables
How to get a good mark? Content, diligence, depth
1. Story: narrative that tells a story
– Provide good structure, arguments based on paragraphs
– Flowing narrative, each paragraph leads to the next
2. Depth:
– Independent reading/appraising literature
– Don’t just state facts; quality statements, provide evidence-based thoughts, state implications
– Discuss future work and directions (e.g. where is this research going next?)
– It’s important to indicate independent/critical thinking
3. Be concise:
– Work to the set word limit (2000 words)
4. Proportion:
– Keep sections in proportion
– Address all aspects of the question
– The main text should contain the majority of the word count
5. Presentation:
– Please take meticulous care on presentation: e.g. spelling, grammar, consistency, formatting, presentation
– Consistent citation and bibliography
6. Extra appeal:
– Include illustrations: figures, images, tables
– Design new figures/tables