Ateneo - UPO

Exploration, isolation and screening of microorganisms of biopharmaceutical interest. Characteristics and applications of the main microbial species of biotechnological interest. Methods of cultivation, microbial quantification and recovery of products in fermentation processes; description of the main technologies and examples of production processes.

Biotecnologie microbiche. Stefano Donadio. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
Microbiologia industriale. Matilde Manzoni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

The course aims to provide students with an overview of the fundamental aspects of microbial biotechnology, focusing on the use of microorganisms in the production of compounds of biopharmaceutical interest. The characteristics of the main microorganisms of industrial, biotechnological and biopharmaceutical interest and the main methodological approaches for fermentation processes, from discovery to development and production, will be described.
Aim of the course will also be to stimulate the interpretative attitude of the students by deepening biopharmaceutical issues through the reading and commenting of scientific articles.

Basic knowledge of the structure and function of the prokaryotic cell, microbial metabolism, methods of cultivation and quantification of microbial cultures.

In-class lectures will be delivered with the support of slide presentations, which will be made available to students through the DIR platform. Some introductory and foundational topics may be provided in asynchronous mode; these contents will subsequently be revisited, discussed, and further developed during classroom sessions, including through practical exercises and brief self-assessment tests aimed at verifying students’ level of learning. Specific topics will also be explored through the viewing of videos in both English and Italian. Issues of particular interest and current relevance will be examined through the critical reading and discussion of scientific publications. At the end of each section of the course, classroom exercises will be proposed with the aim of consolidating the knowledge acquired.

The slides of the lectures and supplementary material are available on the website “Didattica in Rete”: https://www.dir.uniupo.it/
It will be possible to take an in-course test for the Microbiology in the Biopharmaceutical field module in February.
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

See the description of the course "Production of biotechnological drugs"

• Bioprospection: exploration of microbial biodiversity for biotechnological purposes (definition and examples). • The industrial use of microorganisms: history and applications in the pharmaceutical field • Isolation and selection of microorganisms of biopharmaceutical interest (screening approach and examples) • Microorganisms of biotechnological and biopharmaceutical interest: characteristics and applications - E. coli - Streptomyces - Bacillus - Yeasts - Filamentous mushrooms • Methods for cultivation of microorganisms (kinetic aspects of microbiological processes, in-batch growth curve, continuous fermentation and fed-batch fermentation) • Evaluation of microbial development in industrial processes (microbial cultures analysis, direct methods, indirect methods) • Procedures for obtaining microbial metabolites, measurements, regulation and technologies in fermentation processes (bioreactors and the fermentation process) • The improvement of production processes (improvement of strains and culture media, raw materials for microbial growth used in the industrial field) • Overview of recovery methods for biotechnological products - downstream (clarification, cell disintegration, precipitation, membrane processes, extraction, evaporation, distillation, final treatments) • The molecular basis of production processes: some examples - Primary metabolites (amino acids) - Antibiotics - Vitamins. Gender Dimension Integration: During the course, dedicated moments will focus on the contributions of women scientists who played a fundamental role in the development of microbiology, or whose work has long been undervalued or underrecognized. These contents aim to raise students’ awareness of the importance of inclusion, gender equality, and equity in science.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: the student will acquire knowledge and understanding about the applications of the main methods used for the production of molecules of biopharmaceutical interest. Furthermore, the student will acquire knowledge about some of the technologies used for microbial transformations, the methods of isolation and selection of microorganisms of biopharmaceutical interest, the use of growth substrates and the techniques for quantifying microbial development in the pharmaceutical and industrial fields. ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: the student will be provided with a theoretical framework and with the tools related to the application of the main microbiological methodologies and processes currently used in the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors, to achieve the ability to critically select the technologies and the methodologies described and to develop and deepen further skills in the microbiological field. AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: at the end of the course, the student will have to demonstrate autonomy of judgment, the ability to analyze operational problems and to take appropriate corrective measures in the pharmaceutical and industrial microbiological fields and to have acquired skills inherent to verbal and written communication through the use of an appropriate technical-scientific language.