Applications of Biotech On Medicine
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The Course of Biotechnological Applications in Medicine aims to illustrate the most recent applications of biotechnology in the fields of forensic medicine (to provide students with the basic elements of the national legal system and the legal and deontological rules related to responsibility in the exercise of the profession), reproductive medicine, environmental epigenetics, regenerative medicine and public health.
Expected learning outcomes
Understanding and analysis of basic biological phenomena and methodologic approaches to their study in relation to current or possible biomedical applications
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Biotechnology of reproduction
Ovarian and endometrial cycle- spermatogenesis- conception
Implantation, develpment and function of the placenta - Fetal growth - Main embryo and trophoblast pathologies-pregnancy related diseases
Causes of infertility and clinical indications to assisted reproduction - in vitro assisted reproduction techniques
Crioconservation of gametes and reproductive tissues - stem cells for reproductive purposes - preimplantation diagnosis - Genomic imprinting
Invasive and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis techniques - reproductive techniques in couples with blood viral infections
Biotechnologies and public health.
- General principles. Hygiene and public health. Evolution of the "health" concept. Health and disease.
- Epidemiology methodology. Definition and objectives. Epidemiological studies. The molecular epidemiology approach..
- Prevention methodology. Definition and objectives. Molecular biology in the prevention field.
Vaccines and vaccination strategies.
- Biotechnologies and development of new generation vaccines.
Public health topicality.
- Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
- New technologies as tools to face up to new health emergences.
LEGAL MEDICINE
Forensic medicine, definition; legal principles: outline (the Constitution of the Republic, outlines of criminal and civil law with the different features of the criminal and the civil trial); definition of crime; prosecution ex officio and on complaint; the legal status of the biotechnologist at work; the legal notion of a biological sample; the complaint, the offence of private violence; professional secrecy; consent to the sanitary act; professional liability in the mode of excercise of the profession; notion of causation; damage and compensation for damage; the DLGS n. 196 of 30/6/2003 (Privacy Law) and following amendments; the code of ethics.
Introduction and General Concepts.
Technologies for DNA Methylation and Histone Modification Analyses.
Epigenetics: Environmental Instructions for the Genome.
Design of Epidemiology Studies and Epigenetic Aging
Health Correlates of Epigenetic Alterations. Genomic Imprinting and Epigenetic Inheritance.
Diet and Epigenetic States. Epigenetics and Cancer.
Epigenetics Alterations of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Neurological Diseases.
Non-coding RNAs.
Cell and tissue culture methods, laboratory and requirements.
Tissue and cells bank, cryo- preservation
Cell culture in biomedical diagnosis ( amniocytes culture, fibroblasts culture)
Cell culture in biomedical research
tumor invasion and metastasis
signal transduction
Hematopoietic cells
Tumor stem cell
Cell migration: molecular mechanisms and in vitro models
Cell death: methods to study apoptosis and necrosis
Integrins extracellular matrix, growth factors: characteristic and dynamic changes
during tumour progression; and targets for new cancer therapeutics.
Ovarian and endometrial cycle- spermatogenesis- conception
Implantation, develpment and function of the placenta - Fetal growth - Main embryo and trophoblast pathologies-pregnancy related diseases
Causes of infertility and clinical indications to assisted reproduction - in vitro assisted reproduction techniques
Crioconservation of gametes and reproductive tissues - stem cells for reproductive purposes - preimplantation diagnosis - Genomic imprinting
Invasive and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis techniques - reproductive techniques in couples with blood viral infections
Biotechnologies and public health.
- General principles. Hygiene and public health. Evolution of the "health" concept. Health and disease.
- Epidemiology methodology. Definition and objectives. Epidemiological studies. The molecular epidemiology approach..
- Prevention methodology. Definition and objectives. Molecular biology in the prevention field.
Vaccines and vaccination strategies.
- Biotechnologies and development of new generation vaccines.
Public health topicality.
- Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
- New technologies as tools to face up to new health emergences.
LEGAL MEDICINE
Forensic medicine, definition; legal principles: outline (the Constitution of the Republic, outlines of criminal and civil law with the different features of the criminal and the civil trial); definition of crime; prosecution ex officio and on complaint; the legal status of the biotechnologist at work; the legal notion of a biological sample; the complaint, the offence of private violence; professional secrecy; consent to the sanitary act; professional liability in the mode of excercise of the profession; notion of causation; damage and compensation for damage; the DLGS n. 196 of 30/6/2003 (Privacy Law) and following amendments; the code of ethics.
Introduction and General Concepts.
Technologies for DNA Methylation and Histone Modification Analyses.
Epigenetics: Environmental Instructions for the Genome.
Design of Epidemiology Studies and Epigenetic Aging
Health Correlates of Epigenetic Alterations. Genomic Imprinting and Epigenetic Inheritance.
Diet and Epigenetic States. Epigenetics and Cancer.
Epigenetics Alterations of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Neurological Diseases.
Non-coding RNAs.
Cell and tissue culture methods, laboratory and requirements.
Tissue and cells bank, cryo- preservation
Cell culture in biomedical diagnosis ( amniocytes culture, fibroblasts culture)
Cell culture in biomedical research
tumor invasion and metastasis
signal transduction
Hematopoietic cells
Tumor stem cell
Cell migration: molecular mechanisms and in vitro models
Cell death: methods to study apoptosis and necrosis
Integrins extracellular matrix, growth factors: characteristic and dynamic changes
during tumour progression; and targets for new cancer therapeutics.
Prerequisites for admission
Students must have fulfilled all the prerequisite requirements indicated in the study plan: Techniques in molecular and cellular biology, Human Molecular Genetics, General Pathology and Immunology
Teaching methods
The integrated course of "Applicazioni Biotecnologiche in Medicina" will have frontal lessons without laboratories. In each one of the 6 integrated modules of the course, the frontal lessons will be highly interactive for the students that will have the opportunity to download before all the presentations and associated material from the Ariel platform of UNIMI, within a special session referred to this integrated class. Doing so, the lesson will have an high level of synergy so the students can actively participate to the lessons. In particular, the student will have an active role in developing with the professors of each models of the integrated course all those examples of biomedical applications in the context of human models of diseases and associated therapies.
Attending the lessons is mandatory.
Attending the lessons is mandatory.
Teaching Resources
Selected bibliographies relevant to the topics covered will be provided in class
MEDICINA LEGALE
Cazzaniga, Cattabeni, Luvoni, Zoja
COMPENDIO DI MEDICINA LEGALE E DELLE ASSICURAZIONI (XV Ed.)
UTET Giuridica, 2022
ISBN 978-88-5981875-5
MEDICINA LEGALE
Cazzaniga, Cattabeni, Luvoni, Zoja
COMPENDIO DI MEDICINA LEGALE E DELLE ASSICURAZIONI (XV Ed.)
UTET Giuridica, 2022
ISBN 978-88-5981875-5
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final examination of the integrated course of "Applicazioni Biotecnologiche in Medicina" will consist in a written test of 30 questions with multipole choices that will represent all the 6 different synergic modules of the course. Within 5 possible choices at every given question, the correct answer(s) can be one or more than one. The student won't know what questions will have either one correct answer or more correct ones. In this way, only a deep knowledge of all the program explained at lessons will allow the student to correctly answer to all the questions whose score is 1 (in case of a single correct choice) or 1,5 (in case of correct multiple choices). The score will be of 0,5 for partial correct answers to those questions with multiple exact choices. In case of any wrong answer, the score will be 0 regardless of the single or multiple exact choices of that question- This methodology will allow to every professor of the course to deeply test in the same way the level of knowledge of the students in each written test.
The final score is 30/30 and the "laude" will be granted only to those students that will get a score higher than 30 in the written test.
There are no scheduled preparatory, intermediate or "in itinere" examination tests and the we will schedule e minimum of 6 written examination tests for every academic year without any unofficial examination tests.
The student cannot carry any paper or electronic support material during the written examination test that will last 60 minutes.
The final results of the written examination test will be delivered electronically via the official online platform of UNIMI and the students will have the option to either accept or reject the final score of the test.
The final score is 30/30 and the "laude" will be granted only to those students that will get a score higher than 30 in the written test.
There are no scheduled preparatory, intermediate or "in itinere" examination tests and the we will schedule e minimum of 6 written examination tests for every academic year without any unofficial examination tests.
The student cannot carry any paper or electronic support material during the written examination test that will last 60 minutes.
The final results of the written examination test will be delivered electronically via the official online platform of UNIMI and the students will have the option to either accept or reject the final score of the test.
MED/08 - PATHOLOGY
MED/40 - OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY
MED/42 - HYGIENE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
MED/43 - FORENSIC MEDICINE
MED/44 - OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE
MED/46 - BIOTECHNOLOGY AND METHODS IN LABORATORY MEDICINE
MED/40 - OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY
MED/42 - HYGIENE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
MED/43 - FORENSIC MEDICINE
MED/44 - OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE
MED/46 - BIOTECHNOLOGY AND METHODS IN LABORATORY MEDICINE
Lessons: 56 hours
Professors:
Bollati Valentina, Mando' Chiara, Mavilio Domenico, Pariani Elena, Pelosi Giuseppe, Piccinini Andrea Arnaldo Maria, Savasi Valeria Maria
Shifts:
Professor(s)
Reception:
On Appointment
Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Via A. ;anzoni 113, Rozzano, Milano
Reception:
via C. Pascal, 36 Milan
Reception:
Monday 12.00-13.00 (by appointment)
Interhospital Pathology Division, Science and Technology Park, Via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano