Biochemistry

Educational objectives

The “Bioorganic Chemistry" course is an integrated interdisciplinary course consisting of two modules: "Biorganic Reaction Mechanisms" and "Enzyme Catalysis". The expected learning outcomes are the knowledge and understanding of the main mechanisms of metabolic reactions and the mechanism of action of the enzymes catalyzing them, integrating skills in organic chemistry and biochemistry. The General Skills and the Specific Skills of each individual module are available in the appropriate section related to the module itself.

Educational objectives

General skills.

At the end of the course and passing the exam, the student will have acquired the knowledge and skills in the areas listed below. In general he will be able to: describe structure and function of the main classes of biological macromolecules; explain the main metabolic pathways in terms of regulation and interconnection; identify the mechanisms of adaptations of cellular functions in physiological and pathological conditions. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, the student will have the ability to interpret and explain biological phenomena from the biochemical point of view, describing their molecular basis in terms of structures and biochemical reactions. The students' communication skills will be developed thanks to the possibility of presenting and discussing a scientific paper related to the course program in the classroom. The use of concepts studied in class will be crucial for learning those critical and judgment skills necessary to evaluate the main experimental approaches used in biochemical research.
In the future, the student will be able to count on the knowledge and skills just described for the understanding of other disciplines and for working in clinical and research laboratories.

Specific skills.

a) knowledge and understanding:
-Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between structure and function of the informational macromolecules involved in the main cellular processes;
- knowledge of Biochemical mechanisms of cell homeostasis. DNA repair and recombination. Cell cycle. Cancer. Apoptosis.
-understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the biogenesis and homeostasis of macromolecules;
-knowledge of the main metabolic pathways controlling informational macromolecules in the physio-pathological processes;

b) ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
-ability to interpret and explain biological phenomena by macromolecules control in response to exogenous and endogenous stimuli;

c) autonomy of judgment:
-being able to identify the molecular mechanism controlling the main biological and biomedical phenomena;
-being able to identify and evaluate macromolecular adaptations in response to physiological and pathological signals;

d) communication skills:
-knowing how to illustrate and explain phenomena on involving informational macromolecules with appropriate terms and with logical reasoning;
-knowing how to describe and connect the main biosignaling mechanisms;
-being able to describe the molecular mechanisms of the main cellular processes at the molecular level;

e) learning ability:
-acquisition of the fundamentals and cognitive skills to autonomously continue deepening cellular processes;
-acquisition of basic knowledge to progress independently in other biological disciplines;
-acquisition of the ability to quickly learn and apply molecular and cellular knowledge in working contexts of planning research activities;

Educational objectives

The course consists of two modules: "Biophysical Methods" (3 CFU) and "Macromolecules" (6 CFU). The learning outcomes of the modules are strongly integrated so that every aspect concerning the structure and function of macromolecules is addresses from both the biophysical-methodological and structural-functional points of view. For this reason, the learning outcomes of the modules are identical.

Educational objectives

The course of "Microorganism and Plant Biochemistry" is divided into two integrated modules: "Microorganism Biochemistry and Physiology" and "Plant Biochemistry and Physiology". The aim of the course is to integrate and deepen the general knowledge and skills of biochemistry and metabolism, previously acquired by the students, with specific skills in the field of biochemistry and physiology of plants and microorganisms, which are at the base of modern biotechnologies used in industrial, environmental, medical, and pharmaceutical fields.

Educational objectives

This course is composed by the integrated modules "Physiopathology" (6 CFU) and "Pharmacology" (3 CFU).
It provides an introduction to the pathologic basis of disease and drug treatment, and draws together knowledge gained from prerequisite subjects into the study of the aetiology and pathogenesis of disease. It focuses on the interaction between the immune and the nervous systems at molecular, cellular and systems levels, and provides an overview of current and developing concepts in Neuroimmunology from both Neuroscience and Immunology perspectives. It aims to familiarize students with the molecular and cellular elements of interconnectivity between the immune and nervous systems and the effect of neuro-immune interaction on physiological responses and disease processes. Moreover, it provides the basis of crosstalk between cells of immune and nervous systems in the stress response and in the onset and development of neurological disorders. Students will be introduced to concepts of cellular injury, inflammation and necrosis. The fundamentals of pharmacology including targets of drug action, absorption and metabolism of drugs and drug development will also be detailed. This provides a platform for commencing the integrated study of pathophysiology, pathology and drug treatment of various disorders, beginning with pain, inflammation and neoplasia. The General Skills and the Specific Skills of each individual module are available in the appropriate section related to the module itself.

Educational objectives

General Objectives

The course aims to provide students with both fundamental and advanced knowledge in Computational Biochemistry, with a special focus on the analysis and understanding of protein structure. It seeks to integrate theoretical aspects with practical training, dedicating approximately half of the curriculum to hands-on experience with computational tools and open source software. By the end of the course, students will be able to use state-of-the-art techniques for modeling, simulating, and analyzing protein structures effectively and critically interpret the results, thereby contributing to the development of innovative biochemical approaches.

Specific Objectives

a) Knowledge and Comprehension:

Understand the theoretical foundations of computational methodologies applied to protein structure analysis.

Become familiar with the key molecular modeling, simulation, and protein interaction techniques.

Deepen the understanding of the structural and functional features of proteins and their associated macromolecular complexes.

b) Ability to Apply Knowledge and Comprehension:

Use open source software and computational tools to analyze, model, and simulate protein structures.

Apply advanced computational methods to solve specific challenges in Computational Biochemistry.

Interpret and critically evaluate structural data within a biological context.

c) Autonomous Judgment:

Conduct independent studies on protein modeling and structural simulation.

Select the most appropriate computational method for addressing a given biochemical problem.

Critically assess the results and methodologies, integrating novel approaches from current research.

d) Communication Skills:

Communicate effectively the outcomes of computational analyses both in writing and orally.

Present complex data using appropriate terminology and maintaining methodological rigor.

Share acquired skills and findings in research settings, scientific presentations, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

e) Learning Abilities:

Develop the ability to continually integrate new discoveries and methodologies in Computational Biochemistry.

Acquire the cognitive tools necessary to independently deepen expertise in advanced techniques of protein structure analysis and simulation.

Be prepared for continuous updating in line with the evolution of molecular modeling and simulation technologies.

Educational objectives

The course is composed of two modules: "Molecular Biology Techniques" (3 CFU) and "Protein Purification and Characterization" (6 CFU). At the end of the course and after passing the exam, the student will have acquired the knowledge and skills in the areas described for each single module. In general, it will be able to: explain the principles and the applications of the most common biochemical methodologies and set up an experiment starting from the consultation of the literature up to its execution on the laboratory counter. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, the student will have the ability to interpret and explain the results of the biochemical experiments through the interpretation and discussion of the experimental results. Students' critical and judgmental skills will be developed through numerous classroom exercises in which numerical exercises and database research will be carried out, and several practical laboratory experiences (starting from cloning of PCR-produced DNA fragments to purification and characterization of proteins with enzymatic activity). Communication skills will be exercised during the theoretical and practical lessons, which will include moments of open discussion. In the future, the student will be able to count on the knowledge and skills herein acquired for work in analysis and research laboratories.
The general skills and the specific skills of each module are described in detail in the related sections.

Educational objectives

The course of "Biochemical Biotechnologies I" consists of the integrated modules "Applied Biochemistry" and "Microbial Biotechnologies: Industrial Applications". The learning outcomes of the course concern biotechnological applications of enzymes, proteins and microorganisms in basic and applied research and in industry. The learning outcomes of each individual module can be consulted in the appropriate section of the module.

Educational objectives

The “MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES” course is articulated into two integrate modules: “Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies” and “Microbial Biotechnologies: Medical Applications”. The learning outcomes of the integrated course concern the methods for the industrial production of pharmaceutical substances and the biotechnology strategies used to study and contrast bacterial infections. The learning outcomes of each single module can be consulted in the appropriate section of the module.

Educational objectives

The course, composed of the integrated modules of “Bioethics” (3 CFU) and “Regulatory Aspects of Scientific Research” (3 CFU), deals with the ethical and regulatory aspects of scientific research, closely interconnected on the moral and legislative levels. Students will know and understand how the development of scientific research can open new horizons to knowledge and contribute to the improvement of our lives, but at the same time confronts society with the need to establish ethical principles and laws to which researchers must obey. Students will know and understand specific regulatory aspects concerning the efficacy and safety of new products developed for therapeutic and diagnostic purpose. The general and specific skills of each module are described in detail in the appropriate sections.

Educational objectives

General skills

At the end of the course the learner will be able to:
- Organize and present scientific data based on the principles of science communication;
- describe how to effectively present different types of data (narrative, table, plot, graphical representation, etc.);

Writing Skills

At the end of the course, the learners will be able to describe

● how to prepare a scientific publication, in particular:
○ how to select a scientific journal based on the subject area, target audience, impact factor, article type, etc.
○ the concept of “scientific journal format”
○ how to structure a scientific article
○ how to write references correctly
○ the features of scientific language
○ best practices of paper writing
● how to structure a grant proposal, in particular:
○ how to identify a suitable call for a given research
○ the main elements of a grant proposal: work packages (WPs), milestones, deliverables, budget, etc.
○ how to structure a grant proposal
○ the different roles of participants (PI, WP leads, partners)

● the characteristics of a scientific report, in particular:
○ how to identify the purpose of a report
○ how to structure a scientific report

Presentation Skills:

At the end of the course, the learner will be able to explain

● how to identify the most appropriate communication style given a target audience (students, experts, examining committee, etc) and a context (formal, non formal, teaching, training, thesis defence, etc.)
● why the body language is important
● what are the “key rules” when communicating science from a stage
● how to move on a stage
● how to use their body and voice
● how to effectively use visual, movable, and portable supports (white board, slides, props, etc.)
● the features of effective slides

Learners will also be able to create
● effective slides, keeping into account what cognitive sciences teach us: cognitive extraneous overload and attention split, and dual coding (how to combine words and visuals).

Graphic Skills

knowledge and understanding:

Students will be able to:
● Describe and explain the concept of image resolution
● Distinguish among the different colour spaces
● Tell the difference between raster and vector image formats
● Recognise the different image file formats
● Explain the concept of image compression
● Utilise the main tools (from the main palette) of Open Source software such as GIMP, Inkscape, for raster and vector image modification.
● Organise the layout of a complex image based on the rules of graphic design composition.

Application, analysis and synthesis:

Students will be able to:

● Design and create a multi-panel image from scratch. This includes the ability to: modify source images; include legends and diagrams; export data and plots as image files; organize the layout and assemble the figure
● Prepare scientific figures and illustration in agreement with editorial artwork-guidelines
● Design and export images in the correct format, with image properties optimized for a specific communication media (e.g. scientific paper, research project, oral presentations, poster)

Educational objectives

The final examination consists in the preparation and discussion of an original dissertation written in English by the student, under the guidance of a supervisor, and following a specific laboratory training entirely dedicated to the experimental work subject of the thesis. At the end of this experience, the students will be able to report in writing, and to present and critically discuss the experimental research work carried out on a specific topic, also demonstrating knowledge and critical understanding of the relevant scientific literature.