| 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 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: | 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 |
Seminars
| Seminar | CV | Course description |
| Drug development | HP | Seminars on Drug Development, where leading experts will cover cutting-edge topics from drug discovery to clinical trials, providing insights into innovative techniques and industry best practices. |
| Animal model for human diseases | HP HT | Seminars on Animal Models for Human Diseases, exploring advanced methodologies and their applications in understanding and treating human conditions, led by renowned experts in biomedical research. |
| Preclinical testing platforms | HP HT | Seminars on Preclinical Testing Platforms, where top experts will discuss innovative models and technologies used to evaluate drug efficacy and safety before clinical trials, enhancing research and development. |
| Drug discovery, pharmaceutical chemistry, and analysis | HP | Seminar on Drug Design, featuring leading experts who will explore the latest strategies and technologies in designing effective and innovative drugs, from molecular modeling to pharmaceutical chemistry and analysis. |
| Innovative pharmaceutical technologies | HP | Seminars on Innovative Pharmaceutical Technologies, where industry leaders will discuss cutting-edge advancements transforming drug delivery, formulation, and manufacturing for better healthcare solutions. |
| Robotic surgery | HT | Seminars on Robotic Surgery, featuring top surgeons and researchers who will explore the latest advancements, techniques, and applications of robotics in minimally invasive surgical procedures |
| Artificial Intelligence in health technologies and drug development | HP HT | Seminars on Artificial Intelligence in Health Technologies and Drug Development, where experts will delve into AI’s transformative impact on medical diagnostics, personalized treatments, and drug discovery. |
| Formazione complementare per dottorandi UniMoRe | HP HT | 1.1 – Da dove vengono i soldi per la ricerca? Opportunità e percorsi per la ricerca e l’innovazione nazionali e internazionali 2.1 – Dalle politiche ai bandi di finanziamento europei 2.2 – Il Ciclo del progetto, la struttura del piano delle azioni e dei costi, gli Attori 2.3 – Comunicare la ricerca: da Galileo alla citizen science 2.4 – Progettare la ricerca in Europa: Valorizzazione dei risultati 2.5 – La negoziazione e la gestione nei progetti Europei – Parte 1 2.6 – La negoziazione e la gestione nei progetti Europei – Parte 2 3.1 – Please cite my paper. Potenziare l’impatto della ricerca e sopravvivere alla bibliometria 3.2 – La valutazione della qualità della ricerca tra bibliometria e peer review 3.3 – Open access vs paywalls. L’accesso (aperto) alla letteratura scientifica 4.1 – I diritti di proprietà intellettuale. Metodi di Tutela; Brevetti; Come scrivere le rivendicazioni; Gestire e sfruttare la PI; Banche dati brevettuali 4.2 – Esperienze di Open Innovation nell’Ecosistema emiliano-romagnolo 4.3 – L’ecosistema dell’Innovazione in Emilia-Romagna |