COURSES  XLI cycle

Course	Hours	CV	Years targeted by the course	Course description	Final test
Nanomedicine development	40	HP	1st and 2nd year	Part 1: Nanomedicine overview (ore 0-10) Lesson 1: What is nanomedicine? Barriers to general drug treatments. Lesson 2: Nanomedicine: Types of drugs and how this affects our selection of Nanomedicines, Different types of Nanoparticles (overview). Lesson 3: Characterization of Nanomedicines and how they influence activity: Size, shape, charge, morphology, hydrophobicity etc. Lesson 4: Targeting Nanomedicines: Passive, physical, and ligand mediated. Passing from in vitro to in vivo models to improve clinical trial success. Lesson 5: In depth comparison of polymeric and lipidic nanomedicines and their recent uses in the literature.   Part 2: Literature research and critical reviewing Lesson 6: How to perform a literature search and how to extract the critical information out of an article. I presented an article to the class and demonstrated how a reviewer must look into the information and judge the acceptability of a submission. Lesson 7-10: Critical reviews. Each student took turns choosing a recent Article from the literature and presenting it for the class. The entire class then analyzed and critiqued the article as if they were an anonymous reviewer.	no
Technical English I	20	HP HT	1st	Introduction to Scientific English as ESP (English for Specific Purposes): This section provides an overview of the general features of Scientific English, including syntax, lexis, terminology, and morphological peculiarities tailored for specific purposes. Scientific Discourse: This section explores the concept of genre within scientific discourse, focusing primarily on abstracts and research articles (RA). It defines genre, examines discourse communities involved, communicative purposes, and outlines methodological premises for the course. Abstract as a Genre: Here, the abstract is examined as a genre, covering its generic properties such as definition, structure, style, and intended audience. It discusses typologies of abstracts, tense issues, active and passive voice usage, evaluative lexis, and practical suggestions for abstract writing. Research Article (RA) as a Genre: This section delves into the research article genre, including its properties, discourse community involvement, communicative purposes, structure, style, and intended audience. A focus is placed on RA introductions, utilizing the CARS (Create a Research Space) model, rhetorical moves, steps, linguistic tools, and the study of collocations and grammar in scientific discourse using software like AntConc 3.2.1w	yes
Technical English II	20	HP HT	2nd year	1. More on Research Articles: This section focuses on methodology, exploring linguistic tools such as the passive voice in the past and NP-stacking. It also covers linguistic tools in the macro-sections of Results, Discussion, and Conclusion, including rhetorical resources like hedging, authorial comment, definition, that-nominalizations, and stylistic remarks concerning the use of progressive forms, second person, and imperatives. 2. Research Presentations as a Genre: This section examines research presentations, defining their generic properties, discourse community involvement, communicative purpose, structure, style, and intended audience. It discusses organizational strategies for effective presentations, including preparation, visual supports, performance, and speaker-audience interaction. A real example of a research presentation (Dubois 1981) is provided for illustration.	yes
How to write a winning grant	35	HP HT	1st and 2nd year	Writing competitive grant proposals is nowadays a fundamental task for scientists. Funded research projects are crucial to ensure scientific excellence, professional growth, as well as meritocracy. This course is a comprehensive, hands-on, interactive overview of the fundamental concepts of grant writing. Lectures will cover the complete grant development process from researching funding sources to developing, submitting, and reviewing grant proposals. The overall goal of this course is to enable each participant to develop a competitive application, step-by-step.	yes
Communicate science	35	HP HT	1st and 2nd year	Disseminating science clearly and effectively is one of the fundamental requirements for the dissemination of scientific progress. This course in scientific writing and communication aims to provide key knowledge to successfully share research results in various contexts: from publications to conferences, to social media.   Specific Learning Objectives By the end of the course, each student should: Be able to distinguish the various forms of scientific communication; Be familiar with the process of publishing a manuscript; Know the different forms of scientific publication and the related writing techniques; Be able to choose the most appropriate journals for publication; Be able to write their results in an abstract and communicate them at meetings and conferences in the form of a poster or oral presentation; Perform a valid and constructive review of a research paper; Understand how to write their curriculum vitae effectively; Be familiar with the various forms of communication to society; Be able to effectively execute and utilize scientific communication on social media.	yes
Statistical design of experiments	35	HP HT	1st and 2nd year	Principles of causation: causal inference, directed acyclic graphs, relation between variables (bias, confounding, effect modification). Principles of statistical inference. Sample size and power calculation. Practical exercise on calculating power and sample size for experimental study. Choice of adequate statistical test. Overview of epidemiological study designs: Basics of experimental studies. Theoretical exercise on types of experimental studies and types of clinical trials. Statistical analysis in experimental design: Basics of correlation – use and misuse. Regression – basic principles: Linear regression and multiple linear regression. Practical exercise in SPSS or STATA. Logistic regression – basic concepts: Single and multiple logistic regression. Logistic regression – variable selection and model building. Logistic regression – statistical adjustment – interaction and confounding. Regression – diagnostics. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Repeated measures analysis. Basic concepts of time-to-event data. Testing for equivalency of time distributions (comparing survival curves). Regression models for time-to-event data (Cox regression).	yes
Professional ethics	10	HP HT	1st and 2nd year	Difficult Words: Ethics. Ethical Principles of Animal Experimentation in the Biomedical Field. Getting Married in the Metaverse and Robots to Cure Loneliness: How to Live with Virtual Reality. Sports, Drugs, and Doping Substances: An Issue of Fairness, Respect, and Health. Europe and (Its?) Values.	yes
PhD Day	24	HP HT	all years	Recurring annual event where the doctoral students present their research activity and discuss it with the doctoral board, tutor, co-tutor, and colleagues. The official language of the event is English, and it is accompanied by the publication of the book of abstracts on the PhD program’s website.	yes
PhD Degree	6	HP HT	all years	Recurring annual event where the doctoral thesis is publicly presented and discussed with a committee composed of members from foreign university institutions as well. The official language of the event is English.	yes
Metabolomic Approaches in Pharmaceutical Research	6	HP	1st and 2nd year	Metabolomics is an analytical profiling technique used to measure and compare large numbers of metabolites present in biological samples, collectively known as the metabolome. By integrating high- throughput analytical chemistry with multivariate data analysis, metabolomics provides insights into metabolic mechanisms. Recently introduced among the Omics disciplines, metabolomics analyzes low molecular weight compounds across various biological systems and research fields. Metabolomics analysis can be categorized into two approaches: targeted and untargeted metabolomics. In targeted metabolomics, the metabolites selected for quantification are known and defined by the biological problem at hand, potentially representing specific pathways or classes of molecules. Conversely, untargeted metabolomics aims to identify as many metabolites as possible, involving both quantification and identification of metabolites. This course will discuss and compare the differences between targeted and untargeted approaches to metabolomics. Additionally, it will emphasize the value of untargeted metabolomics and provide guidelines for conducting such studies. Finally, selected applications of untargeted metabolomics will be presented, along with a discussion on their potential in pharmaceutical research.	yes
Brains4Brain: networking for innovation in brain therapies	8	HP HT	all years	A training day will be focused on investigation on developing new and innovative therapeutic strategies to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), a capillary system that shields and defends the Central Nervous System (CNS) from circulating neurotoxic compounds. The BBB has a crucial protective filtering function but, unfortunately, also prevents most candidate therapeutic drugs under development for CNS diseases from accessing the brain. Within the aims of Brains4Brain Foundation (B4B), the seminars will be dedicated to the mission of promoting an International Network of health professionals specializing in rare disorders, particularly in the field of rare neurological diseases. During the training day, sector experts will share the latest research and innovative technologies aimed at overcoming the challenges posed by the BBB, offering new hopes for effective treatments for rare neurological diseases. PhD students will have the opportunity to discuss and collaborate, thus fostering the creation of synergies and networks that could fortify their advanced formation and may help in accelerating the development of therapeutic solutions for young patients affected by these complex conditions.	yes
European Technology Platform in Nanomedicine Academy	125	HP HT	all years	ETPN ACADEMY is dedicated to share competences in field of nanomedicine. Within the project, which connect different PhD courses around Europe, there is a wide expertise in several sectors of nanotechnology. The main aim is to share the training and transform into a credited module. The module can be used for MC DN and other EU projects and EC requires to be ECTS credited. 5 ECTS credits require 125 hours in total split between direct contact learning, self-directed learning, videos and assessment. Within the development of the project, learning outcomes (LO) and the assessments will be carried out to evaluate if the ALO are met.	yes
Data Analysis and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Product Domain	4	HP HT	all years	Coordinator: Prof. Luca Pinzi. Series of seminars, each lasting 2 hours, in which speakers from the pharmaceutical industry will discuss the application of AI approaches in various contexts and phases related to drug development.	yes
Pharmacoepidemiology, Data-Driven Approaches, Therapy Adherence	6	HP HT	all years	A series of seminars, each lasting 2 hours, featuring speakers from the pharmaceutical industry and subject-matter experts addressing topics related to pharmacoepidemiology, data analysis, and therapy adherence.	yes
Advanced Biomaterials	6	HP HT	all years	The course explores the use of biomaterials in the medical field, examining their chemical and physical properties, biocompatibility, and applications in areas such as controlled drug delivery and the design of implantable medical devices, with a particular focus on micro- and nanoscale technologies and materials.
Advanced Raman Spectroscopy and Spectralomics: Pioneering a New Era in Pharmaceutical Sciences	6	HP HT	all years	A series of introductory lectures (2 hours each) dedicated to the advanced applications of Raman spectroscopy, with a particular focus on the numerous potential uses of these innovative technologies in the characterization of complex pharmaceutical systems and their application in the biomedical field.