Ethiopathogenesis of hereditary and parasitic diseases

The educational objective of the course is to introduce the students to the comprehension of the analytical genomic tools for eucariotic variability detection and function, and to the mechanisms and machineries of inherited and parasitic diseases. Some host-parasite molecular mechanisms of interaction will also be considered. The course will also illustrate the spontaneous and experimental animal models for the understanding of the genetic and pathogenetic basis of parasitic diseases.

At the end of the course the student will possess: -knowledge on the principles of the construction of the genetic and physical maps - knowledge of the main tools available for nucleotide sequencing both Sanger and next generation - knowledge of the main tools for high-throughput genotyping both by hybridization and sequencing - basic knowledge of the genomic difference in parasites and mammals. Furthermore the student will be able to - understand the terminology and the research approaches of molecular genetics and genomics used in science and reported in the scientific publications - understand which tools might be more appropriate for an analysis aimed to high-throughput nucleotide sequencing and genotyping, together with their pros and cons - understand which tools might be the most appropriate for an association study for different diseases, and which might be the limits and the power. Besides, the student will gain knowledge on the following topics: 1. Advanced diagnostic techniques for the study of the molecular mechanisms of parasitic diseases, and for the understanding of the pathogenetic basis of parasitic diseases; 2. Immunopathology of parasitic diseases and parasitic strategies od immune response evasion; 3 Molecular mechanisms of resistance and sensitivity to animal parasitic diseases as varroatosis, toxoplasmosis and neosporosis.