Molecular Medicine

PhD Course

Thematic area Medical and Biomedical Sciences

Duration 3 years

Language English

PhD Programme Coordinator Arianna Loregian

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The main objective of the PhD Course in Molecular Medicine is to train researchers with a strong scientific independence and with in-depth biological knowledge to be applied to medicine to understand the molecular basis of diseases and develop new diagnostics and new therapeutic tools aimed at individuals.
The course is divided into two curricula with basic research projects and translational research, marked by a strong interdisciplinary. The main fields of research are tumor biology, stem cells, microbiology, pathogenesis of degenerative diseases, neoplastic and infectious diseases, mechanisms of redox homeostasis, development of animal models, tissue regeneration and study of the spreading dynamics of infectious diseases.
The training program, characterized by a strong interdisciplinary connotation, includes laboratory activities, seminar activities and lectures. Every year a meeting is organized where the PhD students have the opportunity to present their work to their colleagues and faculty members, exchanging ideas and issues helpful to develop critical skills.

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The course is divided into two curricula: Biomedicine and Regenerative Medicine, both engaged in the development of basic research projects and translational research.

Basic research is focused on the identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in cell differentiation, stem cells and pathogenesis of degenerative, neoplastic, and infectious diseases. Topics include signal transduction mediated by growth factors and hormones; enzymes involved in redox homeostasis; biosynthesis of the extracellular matrix; mechanical stimuli and healing processes; structure and function of viral genes; mechanisms of resistance to antiviral and antibacterial drugs; pathogenetic mechanisms in bacteria and viruses; development and characterization of mouse models.

Translational research aims to develop prevention agents, diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Topics include gene therapy and regenerative medicine, the study of spreading dynamics of infectious diseases, identification of new drugs; development of new biomaterials for stem cell growth under GMP conditions; biomarkers and predictivity of response to the therapy of chronic inflammatory bowel disease; design of metallic, polymeric and natural biomimetic surfaces; design, synthesis and "delivery" of adhesion factors, growth and differentiation factors, and pro and antiangiogenic agents; tissue substitutes; "drug-target finding"; "drug delivery".
The teaching program is divided into courses common to both curricula, aimed at the acquisition by PhD students of solid knowledge of the topics covered. Special attention is paid to the exploitation of research through targeted communication of results, the ability to submit funding proposals and the development of entrepreneurship in biomedical and new emerging technologies, such as bioinformatics applied to epigenome structure and the study of tissue complexity at the level of single cells.

The research training program of the PhD Course, characterized by a strong interdisciplinary connotation, is implemented through laboratory activities, internal seminars or seminars supported by Italian and foreign scholars. PhD students are invited to attend national and international congresses and laboratories of other Italian and foreign universities. The course also organizes an annual retreat during which PhD students have the opportunity to present their work to their colleagues and faculty members, exchanging ideas and issues helpful to develop critical skills.
This knowledge will be mainly used in the medical, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical fields. The aim is to train professionals aimed at designing and developing both basic and translational biomedical research projects.