Title

hours

Descritpion

Teacher

Timing

Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation

8

The course aims to describe the main epigenetic mechanisms involved in the modulation of the different levels of the biological information flow in response to environmental cues. The most modern and relevant molecular biology techniques used in these studies will be outlined. In addition, some of the most recent discoveries in this field of advanced research will be interpreted and commented on, also referring to the role of epigenetic regulation in the field of human health.

Prof. V. Cavalieri

Maggio-Giugno

Computational Drug Design:

10

The course aims to help the doctoral student acquire the skills necessary to understand the issues inherent in the design and development of bioactive molecules. The course will focus on computational approaches that can facilitate the identification and optimization of hits and lead compounds.

The continuous discovery of new biological targets suitable for therapeutic intervention should be accompanied by a high and rapid development of newly discovered ligands or drug repurposing. From this perspective, computational approaches, such as Docking, molecular dynamics, free energy calculations, and reverse modeling represent efficient tools for obtaining information on structure-function relationships for small molecules or natural compounds. Other ligand-based approaches, such as molecular similarity fingerprints, shape methods, pharmacophoric modeling, and QSARs are also widely used in hit/lead identification and optimization.

The course hinges on the objectives of the doctorate and the topics may prove valid for using these approaches in a multidisciplinary way (Applied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Medicine and Bioengineering, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology).

Prof M. Tutone

Giugno-luglio

Drug development for the pharmaceutical industry

10

The course is aimed at PhD students who wish to continue their research in the pharmaceutical industry. Lessons will focus on the application of advanced organic synthesis techniques for drug development. After the rational design of new bioactive molecules, the synthesis will be developed through the application of innovative techniques, such as microwave, click chemistry, solid-phase synthesis, and flow chemistry, and by environmentally friendly processes for the isolation and purification of new molecules (e.g. MPLC, SPE). The last part of the course will focus on the preclinical and clinical development phases of a bioactive molecule for drug approval and marketing. 

Prof M V Raimondi

Giugno

Applications of Physics to Medicine

8

The course aims to provide PhD students with general knowledge on the applications of Physics to medicine by describing the experimental procedures underlying the main medical applications and advanced diagnostic and therapy techniques.

In particular, the main diagnostic techniques (such as radiography, radioscopy, computed tomography, positron emission tomography, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging) will be introduced in both clinical and preclinical settings. The physical principles of the various techniques as well as the information provided on the structure and functionality of the various organs and tissues will be discussed.

In the therapeutic field, both radiotherapy techniques with conventional beams and with hadrons and recent therapies with focused ultrasound will be presented..

Prof. M. Marrale

Giugno Luglio

Nanostructured systems for drug delivery: production and characterization

6

The course aims at providing basic principles on the production and characterization of nanostructured drug delivery systems. In particular, design, fabrication and characterization of nanostructured carriers for controlled drug delivery, drug targeting, and theranostics, will be discussed. Lessons will be focused on most advanced platforms applied either for therapy and bioimaging and their potential combination for theranostics. Pharmacokinetic aspects, biomaterials properties, production, synthetic and chemical functionalization and physical-chemical characterization procedures will be presented and discussed.

Prof. F.S. Palumbo

Prof. M. Licciardi

Novembre-Dicembre

Production and characterization of electrospun biomaterials for drug delivery and regenerative medicine

6

The course aims at providing theoretical and practical basis about manufacturing and chemical-physical characterization procedures of electro-spun biomaterials applied for the drug delivery and regenerative medicine purposes. Theoretical notions on the electrospinning manufacturing technique will be presented and discussed. Most advanced biomedical applications will be presented and discussed; practical sections of the manufacturing procedures will also be carried out.

Prof. F.S. Palumbo

Prof. M. Licciardi

Giugno Luglio

Introduction to Data Analysis and Machine Learning

16

The course provides PhD students with practical foundations in data analysis, statistical modelling and introductory machine learning. It is organised into four 4-hour lessons. The program begins with an introduction to Python for data analysis. Students will learn the basic elements of Python syntax (in Colab), including variables, data types, functions, and control structures. They will then be introduced to key libraries such as NumPy and pandas, with practical examples of loading, inspecting and manipulating datasets. The second part of the course introduces the main concepts required to understand and describe data. Topics include datasets, observations, variables, numerical and categorical data, descriptive statistics, variability and uncertainty. Particular attention will be given to data distributions, including the normal distribution, and to basic visualisation techniques for exploring and communicating data patterns. The course then focuses on modelling and fitting data. Students will examine relationships between variables, linear regression and simple curve fitting. The final part introduces the basic principles of machine learning. Students will work on regression and classification problems, learn how to split data into training and test sets, apply simple models such as linear regression, logistic regression and decision trees, and evaluate model performance using common metrics. By the end of the course, students will have a basic guided practical workflow: importing and exploring data, visualising patterns, fitting a simple model and training a first machine learning model (scikit-learn). The teaching approach is strongly applied: all sessions combine short theoretical explanations with practical exercises, and students are expected to use their own computers throughout the course

Prof. G. Sancataldo

Gennaio Febbraio

NMR techniques for the determination on molecular and materials structure

20

The course is aimed at illustrating the use of modern NMR techniques for elucidating the structure of molecular compounds and for characterizing supramolecular aggregates and organic materials. It provides 20 hours of front lectures and focuses on the following topics:

- Introduction to NMR spectroscopy: spin theory, excitation of spinning nuclei, chemical shift. Pulse NMR techniques, nuclear relaxation and FID, pulse sequences, relaxation times and their determination.

- 1H NMR spectroscopy: chemical shift of 1H nuclei, magnetic anisotropy of unsaturated functional groups. Spin coupling and coupling constants, complex spin systems, magnetic equivalence and its consequences. Double resonance techniques: decoupling, polarization transfer, NOE effect and its application to stereochemistry problems.

- 13C NMR spectroscopy: 1H-13C decoupling and its consequences, off-resonance, inverse-gated decoupling, INEPT and DEPT techniques.

- Correlation Spectroscopy: homo- and hetero-correlation, COSY, HETCOR, HMQC, HSQC, COLOC and HMBC techniques, 13C-13C correlation spectroscopy

- Advanced NMR techniques: 2D and 2D TOCSY, NOESY and ROESY, dynamic NMR and its applications, solid-state NMR, FFC-NMR relaxometry.

- Interpretation of combined NMR spectra.

Prof. P. Lo Meo.

Aprile maggio

Fundamentals for approaching the use of animal models in preclinical research

8

The proposed lessons are aimed at doctoral students who intend to approach the use of animals for research, in order to provide the basic knowledge to be able to plan procedures and projects and to take care of animals.

Course topics will focus on

Module I

- National legislation on the use of animals for scientific purposes

- Drafting of documents for the Ministerial Authorization Request for a project involving the use of animals for scientific purposes

- basics of rodent biology and physiology

Module II

- basics on zebrafish biology and physiology

- use of zebrafish in biomedical research

Module III

-Generation of animal models for the study of human health

Prof M. G. Zizzo

Prof V. Cavalieri

Prof G. Ghersi

Febbraio

Physical-Chemistry of Nanomaterials and their Applications

24

The course aims to provide knowledge regarding nanotechnologies and their use in human health. These topics will be addressed in a multidisciplinary manner, emphasizing the development and optimization of bio- and eco-friendly nanomaterials and the required chemical-physical and biological properties for their safe and effective application in biomedicine.

The course includes 24 hours of frontal teaching and will be structured as follows:

1) Introduction to nanotechnology, its value for human health, the difficulties in designing and optimizing nanomaterials and nanodevices for biomedical applications, and the processes used (bottom-up, top-down, and template-based) for their production.

2) Characteristics and discriminating interactions in nanomaterials compared to bulk materials. Notes on the physical-chemistry of solid surfaces and surface energy.

3) Stabilization of nanomaterials for their use: the Derjaguin, Landau, Vervey, and Overbeek (DLVO) theory of stability for colloidal systems and its extension.

4) Fundamental parameters for designing and producing nanomaterials: the importance of size and morphology for their chemical-physical and application properties. Case studies: nanoparticles, one- (nanowires and nanorods) and two-dimensional (thin films) structures, and the main formation mechanisms.

5) Techniques for the physical-chemical characterization of nanomaterials and their properties.

6) Applications of nanomaterials in (bio) medicine as diagnostic, theranostic, and therapeutic agents. Case studies: nanomaterials such as contrast agents, cell markers, and new antimicrobials. Notes on the use of nanomaterials as anticancer and for tissue engineering. Notes on the toxicity and safety of using nanomaterials for human health.

Dr. E. Piacenza

gennaio-febbraio

Antibacterial activity and drug-resistance acquisition: cellular targets and molecular mechanisms

10

The course aims to provide basic knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the activity of prokaryotic cells. Some of the main natural and/or synthetic drugs used in the clinic in contrasting antibacterial infections will be presented, deepening their mechanisms of action with particular attention to cellular structures, chosen as drug targets. Some of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying drug resistance will also be described during the course.

Prof. R. Alduina

Gennaio-febbraio

Antitumoral activity and drug-resistance acquisition: cellular targets and molecular mechanisms

10

The course aims to provide basic knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the activity of tumoral cells. Some of the main natural and/or synthetic drugs used in the clinic in contrasting tumor growth will be presented, deepening their mechanisms of action with particular attention to cellular structures, chosen as drug targets. Some of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying drug resistance will also be described during the course.

Prof. P Cancemi

Luglio

Isolation and characterisation of bioactive molecules from animal sources by the Combined Approach of Omics Data and Bioinformatics Analysis AI-based .

8

The course aims to provide PhD students general knowledge on the use of animal organisms for the identification of bioactive molecules (drugs, reagents, probes, bioactive peptides) and biopolymers. The course will focus on methods that utilize biological data and computational approaches AI-based to identify and characterize bioactive molecules.  - Toxins as Potential Biotools for the Development of Novel Therapeutics (Analgesic Drug, Neuroprotective Effector, Chemotherapy Drugs, Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Adjuvant for Drug Absorption, Diagnostic Tests); Recombinant Toxins (Biotools and Drug Targets).  -Venom peptides used in the treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and pain treatment. - Isolation and characterization of peptides with antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor and immunomodulatory activity from invertebrates

Prof. A. Vizzini

Gennaio

Control of the Cell cycle and preservation of genome stability

8

This course aims to describe how each phase of the cell cycle is tightly scheduled and perfectly organised to ensure the preservation of genome stability which is essential to protect against human diseases such as cancer. DNA damage and mitotic checkpoints will be presented together with the most recent techniques to study genome stability and chromosomal defects. In this context it will be shown how statistical analyses are an important part of quantitative research.

Dr. V. Barra

To be defined

Cancer Biochemistry: Experimental Models and Statistical Data Analysis

8

The course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of key theoretical and practical concepts in cancer biochemistry, with a particular focus on understanding the biochemical mechanisms underlying solid tumors and the role of the microenvironment in drug efficiency. These topics will be investigated using both two-dimensional and three-dimensional (e.g., spheroid and organ-on-chip) models through the analysis of experimental data. Part of the course will also be dedicated to statistical data analysis and the software tools commonly used for this purpose.

Dr. S Campora

Maggio/giugno

Microbial cell factories for human health through biotechnologically relevant bacterial materials

8

The course aims to provide an overview of bacteria as sustainable producers of high-value biomaterials with promising biomedical and biotechnological applications. Particular attention will be devoted to the microbial synthesis of biogenic nanomaterials, pigments, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), focusing on the mechanisms underlying their production and the potential applications of these bacterial-derived materials in human health (e.g., antimicrobial strategies and antioxidant protection). By integrating concepts from microbiology, biotechnology, and materials science, the course aims to provide advanced knowledge on the use of microorganisms as innovative platforms for the production of functional materials relevant to modern healthcare and biomedical technologies.

Dr. A. Presentato

Giugno

Bioinformatic analyses of bulk and single-cell resolution RNA-sequencing data for biomarker discovery

8

Computational genetics and bioinformatics have become essential pillars of modern biomedical research. The rapid proliferation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has generated an enormous amount of high dimensional biological data. This has resulted into a critical demand for researchers with integrated expertise in genomics, statistics, and bioinformatics capable of analyzing complex datasets and extract biologically meaningful insights, including the identification of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers.

This course focuses on bioinformatic analysis of bulk and single-cell resolution RNA-sequencing data, with hands-on-training using the R programming language.

Participants will be provided with knowledge on end-to-end analytical pipelines applied to real-world datasets. The following topics will be covered: (i) structure and quality assessment of raw sequencing data in FASTQ format; (ii) alignment of sequencing reads to reference genomes using state-of-the-art aligners to produce coordinated-sorted aligned data in BAM format; (iii) quantification of gene expression profiles via read count strategies; (iv) QC, including filtering, normalization, PCA, of gene expression profiles in R; (v) differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses using established frameworks; (vi) high-resolution visualization in R. Upon completion, doctoral students would possess a solid understanding of the structure of RNA-sequencing data as well as practical proficiency in transcriptomics analyses. Acquiring these computational competencies will provide the foundation for developing advanced computational biology expertise, which is highly required in modern academic and pharmaceutical research settings.

Dr. Antonino Zito

Febbraio-marzo