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Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code
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Contact Hours
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Exercise Hours
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Laboratory Hours
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Personal Study Hours
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Type of Activity
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Optional materials and exam in a foreign language
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Language
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18430 -
Scienze omiche applicate
(objectives)
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
1) Homics is a set of biomolecular disciplines that belongs to the life sciences and which is divided into different themes (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics).
The main objective of the course is to enable the student to face the study of the main analytical techniques and instruments by deepening his knowledge of modern omic analyzes, essentially applied to a modern vision of early diagnosis. The student will be prepared to face the search for new diagnostic markers in clinical and non-clinical analyzes. At the end of the lectures, during the scheduled workshop (24h), students are given the opportunity to work individually on practical and practical topics. In this way, the student will acquire the ability to analyze the different protein expression starting from protein extracts and the possibility of applying modern analytical tools.
b) EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS:
1) Knowledge and understanding:
Having acquired a good analytical ability in the field of omics and biotechnology
2) Knowledge and applied comprehension skills:
Knowing how to integrate the knowledge acquired in the individual disciplines into an interdisciplinary knowledge necessary to face any complex problem in the biotechnology sector, in particular being able to apply the knowledge of mass spectrometry to the various applications related to biotechnology.
3) Autonomy of judgment
Students will have to develop the ability to process complex and / or fragmentary information and to arrive at original and autonomous ideas and judgments capable of finding and critically selecting sources of bibliographic data, databases, and the
scientific literature. The autonomy of judgment is developed through the critical study of scientific articles.
4) Communication skills:
The student will be able to hold a critical public discussion on the topics covered in particular will be able to apply proteomics and metabolomics techniques for any scientific topic of interest .. Will be able to work in a team in the field of design and execution of experimental protocols as laboratory credits are foreseen.
5) Ability to learn:
The student will have the ability to identify, apply and develop innovative techniques in the relevant field of
work autonomously.
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TIMPERIO Anna Maria
( syllabus)
OMIC applied sciences
Teacher: Prof. Anna Maria Timperio
Definition of "omic" sciences, Description of the program and examination procedures. Safety standards in scientific laboratories. Proteomics definition: Expression and functional proteomics, proteomic analysis strategies. Native electrophoresis (BLUE-NATIVE gel), one and two-dimensional (1D-GEL, 2D-GEL). Iso-electro-focus (IEF)
Reverse phase chromatography RP-HPLC. Proteomics applications for the study of cancer cells and for early diagnosis for the presence of biomarkers (examples)
Laboratory 1, Protein extraction from material to be defined. Determination of protein concentration (Brendford method). Use of spectrophotometer
Laboratory 2. One dimensional electrophoresis (1D-SDS-PAGE). Cutting of the bands from the gel and digestion in trypsin (without label)
Laboratory 3. Reverse phase HPLC: construction of a gradient. Determination of the slope and study of the chromatogram
Metabolomics definition: Sample preparation techniques for metabolome analysis.Chromatographic and mass spectrometry methods used to characterize metabolites that function as biomarkers
Examples of metabolomics studies in clinical research: Application of metabolomics in the study of autism
Lipidomics definition of main lipids and their determination in mass spectrometry, determination of lipids of red blood cell membranes
Foodomica definition. determination of flavonoids, vitamins in food
-Laboratory 4. Extraction of metabolites according to the (Bligh & Dyer) method Mass Spectrometry: General. Main sources, analyzers and detectors. Analysis of proteins, peptides, metabolites, lipids in intact mass. Tandem mass: meaning and purposes
- Laboratory 5. Determination of the intact mass of a protein. Determination of the amino acid sequence with mass spectrometry (nanoESI-TRAP), Determination of the main lipid classes in ORBITRAP spectrometry, Determination of flavonoids in MALDI TOF spectrometry
Complexity reduction: Subcellular fractionation. Lysis of cells and homogenization of tissues. Separation of subcellular fractions. Proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics of the membrane
Proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics of organelles and intracellular compartments. Immunoprecipitation
Immunoprecipitation to reduce the complexity of a sample for mass spectrometry. Functional Proteomics and Immunoprecipitation
( reference books)
As a specific text is not yet on the market, the teacher will take care to report appropriate articles and magazines during the year.
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6
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BIO/11
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24
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24
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-
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Core compulsory activities
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ITA |
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18431 -
Tossicologia genetica
(objectives)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Genetic toxicology has developed as a discipline independent of Genetics with the aim of defining a robust programme to control the spread of chemical, physical and biological mutagenic agents in the environment. The discovery of an increasing number of mutagenic substances already present or continuously introduced in the environment and the confirmation of the increasingly close correlation between mutagenic processes, carcinogenesis and hereditary genetic diseases, has led to the development of laboratory methods capable of identifying mutagenic substances and the development of monitoring systems to assess the onset of genetic effects in the human population. The aim of the class is to acquire basic knowledge related to the metabolism of xenobiotics, the action of ionizing radiation and biological mutagens and the interaction between mutagenic agents and hereditary material. At a later stage, the theoretical and practical aspects of the main short-term mutagenicity tests will be presented.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1) Knowledge and understanding:
• Knowledge of the fundamental dynamics of the generation of genetic mutations through the different mechanisms of formation of "primary lesions" to DNA, consequent DNA repair processes and final fixation of the mutations;
• Knowledge of the phenotypic effects of mutations at the somatic level (individual), in relation to the development of neoplasms and/or degenerative conditions such as premature ageing, immune, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative dysfunctions and mutations at germinal level (transgenerational effects) related to hereditary genetic diseases;
•Knowledge of the interindividual (human) effects induced by mutagens in relation to the different metabolic capacities regulated by polymorphic metabolic genes (P-450);
•Acquisition of the ability to use "in silico" methodologies (QSAR models) that allow to establish the relationships between the chemical structure of a substance and the specific properties or activities of the compound itself (e.g. sensitization, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity).
2. Applying knowledge and understanding:
•Identification of appropriate "mutagenesis test batteries" selection strategies for an efficient and correct definition of the genotoxic potential of a specific agent (natural active substances, synthetic and biotechnological drugs, food additives, agrochemicals, biocides, etc.) at the three fundamental levels of genetic material organization (gene, chromosomal and genomic) and a possible "risk assessment" for humans.
3. Making judgements:
•The teaching will provide the student with the ability to work autonomously by providing appropriate types of teaching materials (lectures in the form of presentations, specific monographs, relevant scientific literature, computer platforms) and the performance of appropriate laboratory activities synchronized with the theoretical part of the course.
4. Communication skills:
•Students will be appropriately stimulated to actively participate in the activities of course and to design and solve specific scenarios related to the different evolutionary phases of the class. In this regard, in the final phase of the laboratory activities, students will identify autonomously a "model" of a mutagenic agent and its assay strategy.
5. Learning skills:
The students' learning skills will be evaluated in progress and verified through the ability to solve relevant and specific scenarios of interest, different from those proposed during the class.
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MOSESSO Pasquale
( syllabus)
1) Introduction to Genetic Toxicology
Origin and history of Genetic Toxicology. Chemical structure and morphological organisation of genetic material. Definition and classification of mutations: Gene mutations: base pair substitutions, insertions, deletions; reversion and suppression of mutations; phenotypic effects of gene mutations. Fluctuation test and spontaneous mutation in bacteria (neo Darwinian theory). Chromosome mutations: structural (chromosomal aberrations) and numerical (aneuploidy, polyploidy).
2) Spontaneous DNA alterations
Mis-incorporation of bases that can arise during DNA replication (mismatch, tautomerization of bases) and “proof-reading” mechanism for correction of errors. Deamination of bases, spontaneous loss of bases and oxidative damage to DNA. Molecular mechanisms of insertion and deletions of bases.
3) Environmental agents which damage DNA
Physical mutagens: Ionizing electromagnetic radiations (X-rays, γ-rays, betatron-synchrotron radiations; Ionizing subatomic particles (alpha particles, beta particles neutrons). Non-ionizing electromagnetic radiations (UV-A, UV-B, UV-C); UV and ozone. Electromagnetic fields (microwaves, HF, ELF etc.). Direct and indirect action of ionizing radiations on DNA and “S-independent” mechanism of induction of chromosomal aberrations. Chemical mutagens: Direct and indirect chemical mutagens (metabolic activation); alkylating agents; environmental pollutants in the cities [car exhaust, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), formaldehyde, asbestos]; Food additives and contaminant of aliments (aflatoxins, ochratoxins nitrosamines, heterocyclic aromatic amines, phenols of vegetal origin, etc); therapeutic agents (mitomycin-C, bleomycin, nitrogen mustards, inhibitors of DNA topoisomerases I and II, cytostatic agents); pesticides. “S-dependent” mechanism of chemical mutagens. Biological mutagens: microbial and viral pathogens; transposable elements.
4) Systems of defence and cell response to DNA damage
Antioxidant and non-antioxidant systems of defence (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, α- tocopherol, vitamin-C, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols etc). Detoxification systems of xenobiotics: (phase I and phase II enzymes); DNA repair systems: fotoliase, alchiltransferases, “nucleotide excision repair” (NER), “base excision repair (BER), “mismatch repair” (MMR), “SOS” repair, recombinational repair: repair of DNA single strand breaks (SSB) and DNA double strand breaks (HR e NHEJR); DNA damage, activation of cellular “checkpoints, restoration of wild type condition, induction of mutation, apoptosis and genomic instability.
5) Phenotypic effects of somatic and germinal mutations
Mutation and cancer (activation of proto-oncogenes and deactivation of tumor suppressor genes); Mutation and cellular aging; Mutations and genetic diseases (Down, Klinefelter, Edwards, Xeroderma pigmentosum, Ataxia telangiectasia, Bloom syndromes).
6) Assays for detection of genotoxicity
In vitro short-term mutagenicity tests: Gene mutation assay in bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay in or Ames test); Gene mutation assay in mammalian cells (loci HPRT or TK+/-); Cytogenetic tests in mammalian cells (chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges, micronuclei). In vivo short-term mutagenicity assays: Test of chromosome mutation in somatic cells (analyses of cells in metaphase); micronucleus test in bone marrow erythrocytes of rodents; Comet assay; Unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS).
7) Biomonitoring of human populations
Biomarkers of exposure (mutagenic activity of mutagens or their metabolites in the urines; determination of chemical adducts to proteins or DNA); Biomarkers of effects: cytogenetics changes (chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, aneuploidy) in peripheral blood lymphocytes or cells of buccal mucosa; Biomarkers of susceptibility: differential DNA repair capability among different individuals; polymorfism of metabolic enzymes.
8) Evaluation and regulation of mutagenic risk
Testing strategies and prediction of somatic effects (cancer, genetic diseases) following exposure to genotoxic agents; Food safety and strategies for risk assessment; identification of threshold values of exposure; regulatory aspects.
9) Practise exercise (obligatory):
Evaluation of mutagenic compounds (selected by students) in the following mutagenicity assays:
• Cytogenetic analyses of chromosome aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges (SCE’s) and micronuclei in mammalian cells in vitro;
• Analyses of DNA breakage in human lymphocytes by the alkaline “Comet assay”.
( reference books)
L. Migliore “Genomica e Mutagenesi Ambientale”
Testi aggiuntivi (disponibili in biblioteca):
A.P. LI “Genetic Toxicology”
D.H. Phillips and S. Venitt “Environmental Mutagenesis”
R.H. Burdon “Genes and Environment”
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6
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BIO/18
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40
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8
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Core compulsory activities
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ITA |
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18436 -
Chimica delle sostanze bioattive
(objectives)
EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS
• Knowledge and understanding: Knowledge of the principles that define the minimum structural unit of an organic, natural or synthetic molecule, to have a certain biological activity (pharmacophore theory). Knowledge of the relationship between the type of pharmacophore present in an organic molecule and the pharmaceutical and pharmacological activity. Knowledge ot the molecular-level of the action mechanism of the major families of bioactive substances, with particular attention to substances with antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antitumour activity. Knowledge of the key steps for the design of a drug, and procedures for its clinical validation and use. Knowledge of the origin and distribution in nature of the main families of biologically active natural organic substances.
• Applied knowledge and understanding: In addition to the knowledge gained through the bioactive substance chemistry study, students will be able to apply theoretical concepts acquired during the course in solving practical exercises based on the teacher's request to present possible schemes for the design of a drug, having the initial indication of the target of action at the molecular level and knowing the type of pathology against which the treatment therapy is to be developed. In this case, students will also have to apply their previous knowledge of chemistry and biology for complete resolution of the problem.
• Making judgements: At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the necessary training for full autonomy of judgment on the possibility of using a certain organic substance of natural or synthetic origin for the therapy of a certain pathology . The student will then be able to link the acquired knowledge of biochemistry, molecular biology, enzymology, physiology and genetic to the design of a substance applicable in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical fields.
• Communication skills: students will be continuously and consistently invited to participate actively in the lesson in order to deepen the topic and to collect proposals for possible solutions in the case of complex phatological scenarios. In this activity, students will be called upon to meet in order to support their ideas. The educational pitch is aimed at increasing the communicative skills and the ability to know how to work and to confront a group, all aimed at consolidating the acquired concepts.
• Learning Skills: Students' learning abilities will be evaluated during the course of the course by tests that will allow to individually monitor the maturation state of the knowledge, highlighting the student's ability to return the aquired cencepts.
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BOTTA Lorenzo
( syllabus)
General Section
Definition of drug.
Pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. Physico-chemical properties of the drug that influence each of these phases.
Bioavailability and bioequivalence concepts. Cell membrane properties. Fatty acids: classification, properties and biological role.
Pharmacodynamics. Receptor: definition and characteristics. Classification of receptors. Receptor site and its specificity. Allosteric and accessory sites. Ligand-receptor interaction: role of the chemical bond in the receptor interaction. Ionotropic receptors: structure and characteristics.
Drug targets: Proteins, Enzymes, Receptors and Nucleic Acids: structure and function. Receptors and signal transduction.
Receptor activation mechanisms: ionotropic; voltage-dependent and ligand-dependent; receptor activated by phosphorylation. G protein coupled receptors: structure and activation of the G protein cycle. Role of the α portion of the G protein. Effectors of the α portion and effects mediated by Gs, Gi, Gq. Structure and functional groups of the main endogenous ligands of ionotropic and metabotropics receptors: Gaba, Glycine, Aspartate, Glutamate, Acetylcholine, Adrenaline, Noradrenaline, Serotonin, Dopamine, Histamine. Protein kinase receptor. Transmembrane single strand GTPase receptor.
The pharmacophore and the molecular outline of a drug. Concept of affinity and intrinsic activity. Definition of agonist, partial agonist, inverse agonist, antagonist.
Cellular excitability. Mechanism of propagation of the impulse. Chemical synapses: structure, role of vesicles, mechanisms of synthesis and storage of the mediator, release of the mediator. The postsynaptic receptors. Mechanism of presynaptic reuptake of the mediator.
Characteristics of the receptor site of the main neurotransmitters: Serotonin, Dopamine, Histamine, Acetylcholine, Noradrenaline.
Drug-receptor interactions. Electronic interactions. Bonds involved in the drug-receptor complex: covalent bond, ionic bond, hydrogen bond, charge transfer complexes, Van der Waals forces and other interactions. Steric interactions: steric effects in the drug-receptor complex.
Computational Chemistry: Molecular Modelling (conformational analysis, identification of the 3D pharmacophore), Docking, Virtual Screening, Homology Modelling, Pseudoreceptors, De novo drug design.
Formulation and delivery of drugs: principles and use of specific carriers (liposomes, micelles, antibodies, lignin).
Special Part
Antiviral agents: nucleic acids structure and properties, drugs against DNA and RNA viruses, antisense oligonucleotides, broad spectrum drugs, vaccines
Antitumor agents: drugs that act on nucleic acids (intercalants, topoisomerase poisons, alkylating and metalizing agents, chain terminator), antisense therapy, drugs that act on enzymes (adrenergic antagonists, antimetabolites), antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates.
( reference books)
Chimica farmaceutica di Patrick L. Graham
Chimica farmaceutica di Alberto Gasco, Fulvio Gualtieri, Carlo Melchiorre
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6
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CHIM/06
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48
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Core compulsory activities
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ITA |
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18447 -
Lingua inglese B2
(objectives)
The English language course aims to familiarize students with the techniques of writing in the English language which differs from writing in Italian. This course also allows students to produce documents and/or short essays which are relevant for their course of study.
The course therefore focuses on two of the four language skills - writing and reading - without forgetting listening and speaking.
To achieve these objectives, classes are exclusively taught in English. It is for this reason that the grammatical basis of the language and its phonological aspects are not neglected but analyzed whenever the need arises.
The final goal is the achievement of level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), adopted by the Council of Europe by means of which the student:
* Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his / her field of specialization.
* Can interact with a certain fluency and spontaneity that make natural interaction with native speakers possible without effort for the interlocutor.
* Can produce clear and detailed text on a wide range of topics and explain a point of view on a topic providing the pros and cons of the various options.
These objectives are achieved by developing and consolidating the four language skills but above all applying the linguistic knowledge that is gradually being acquired.
Particular attention is paid to the text and context; text analyzes are carried out to identify the specific and pertinent vocabulary, the register to be used and the method of outlining and writing an essay.
Texts of various topics are submitted to students but the main focus is on on scientific topics, crucial to their course of study; also audio will be distributed to develop the ability of oral comprehension; moreover, at each lesson, students must prepare and present some topics of interest in Power Point version.
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RIPA Felicetta
( syllabus)
The course includes the analysis of texts, especially scientific literature, in order to verify:
communication structure and objectives;
lexical relevance;
organization, unity, coherence and consistency.
At the same time, students are asked to produce texts and similar structures on specific assigned themes or on topics of interest.
( reference books)
Dorothy E. Zemach, Lisa A. Rumisek, Academic Writing: From Paragraph to Essay.
The latest scientific articles on specific topics will be also used and made available.
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4
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L-LIN/12
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32
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Other activities
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ITA |
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18448 -
Stage
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3
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Other activities
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ITA |
