Ateneo - UPO

2D and 3D cell cultures. Cell imaging for the analysis of cell death and oxidative stress. Nanomedicine (nanotheranonostic systems for the diagnosis/therapy of cancer). Flow cytofluorimetry. Immunoblotting. Immunofluorescence. Transfection in mammalian cells. Bioinformatic tools for the study and interpretation of transcriptomic and proteomic data. Database for the analysis of clinical data.

Powerpoint presentations uploaded on DIR;
“Molecular Pathology” WJ Coleman and GJ Tsongalis. Academic Press (Elsevier) ISBN 978-0-12-374419-7

The course includes teorical lessons and practical lab activities that will allow the student to learn how to use the lab tools and the basic cellular and molecular techniques used in the biomedical research field.

Basic knowledge of Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and General Pathology.

Theoretical-practical course with lab activities. Theorical lessons = 32hrs + Practical activities = 16hrs.

Students can contact by email for appointments. Frequency is mandatory. Interactive lessons will include bibliography search related to the topics addressed in the course.

Learning will be verified during the laboratory practise by asking specific questions about the techniques. The discussion will highlight any gaps to be filled to reach the exam with an optimal level of preparation. Written evaluation (duration of about 60 minutes) that will focus on the methodological and technological principles of the laboratory techniques learned in the theoretical-practical course. Sufficiency will be achieved by demonstrating that the student has understood the functioning of the laboratory tools and the methods of execution of the main study techniques; excellence will be achieved by demonstrating an in-depth knowledge of all the methodologies and techniques in the program and also a critical ability in interpretation of the results and in the proposition of additional and complementary analysis.

Cell culture techniques in adhesion, in suspension and in 3D. Immunofluorescence and use of the confocal microscope. Nanomedicine (nanotheranonostic systems for the diagnosis/therapy of cancer). Immunoblotting and interpretation of the results. Methods for assessing cell migration. Flow cytometry: cell cycle analysis, expression of surface antigens (e.g. stemness and tumor markers), immunophenotyping. Molecular biology techniques for the construction of chimeric cDNAs for fusion proteins. Transfections of cDNA and siRNA in eukaryotic cells. Methods for the discrimination and the evaluation of cell death and of oxidative stress. Bioinformatics software for the analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics data. Analysis of clinical data extracted from public database (TCGA) and obtaining Kaplan-meier survival curves.

Knowledge of the main techniques of cellular and molecular biology for the study of diseases, with a focus on the detectable alterations in cells, tissues and at the body level. In particular, the student has to demonstrate knowledge of the concepts and applications of the main study methodologies in cellular and molecular pathology, by using the appropriate scientific language. It is required the knowledge about the use of the laboratory tools necessary for carrying out lab experiments (e.g. cell cultures, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting). The student should show critical ability in the interpretation of the results of the analysis and in the evaluation of the experimental data. The evaluation of excellence takes into account the ability to acquire, deepen and update independently, by reading texts and scientific papers.