Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases

This course aims to provide students with an integrated understanding of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, highlighting their distinct biological mechanisms, epidemiological features, prevention strategies and health impacts.
The course is divided in two parts:
The "Non-Communicable Diseases" part offers an in-depth exploration of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, cancers, lung diseases and neurodegenerative conditions, emphasizing on cellular and molecular mechanisms, public health strategies and biomedical approaches to prevention and treatment.
The "Communicable Diseases" part discusses human-microbe interactions, antimicrobial compounds, mechanisms of action and resistance, identifying novel conventional targets for antimicrobial discovery, and non-conventional targets for novel generation of antimicrobial compounds, challenges in novel antimicrobial compound discovery
The course fosters critical reasoning, interdisciplinary analysis and the ability to contextualize disease patterns, while preparing students to engage with emerging challenges in biomedical research and pharmaceutical innovation.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Explain the pathophysiological and molecular aspects of major communicable and non-communicable diseases.
- Understand the biotechnological approaches used in diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
- Interpret disease-related data and evaluate biomedical interventions.
- Apply knowledge to assess therapeutic strategies and biotechnological innovations relevant to disease control.
- Critically assess the impact of diseases on healthcare systems, research priorities and pharmaceutical development.
- Compare disease models and prevention strategies.
- Participate in interdisciplinary discussions and effectively present biomedical and disease-related concepts to specialized or lay audience
- Independently expand their knowledge through critical reading of scientific literature
- Understand the problem of antimicrobial and antiviral drug resistance and current strategies to overcome it
- Understand the most recent technological advances in the antibiotic and antiviral drug discovery field as useful tools for future employment in pharma companies