BIOCHIMICA GENERALE - BIOCHIMICA APPLICATA MEDICA M - Z

Module BIOCHIMICA APPLICATA MEDICA

Front-facing teaching with slide show and/or short films. The teaching didactics is developed in such a way as to stimulate the student's ability to orient himself autonomously in the selection and consultation of scientific texts and journals.

If the teaching is carried out in mixed or distance mode, the necessary variations may be introduced in order to comply with the planned program and reported in the syllabus.

Information for students with disabilities and/or ASD:

To guarantee equal opportunity and in compliance with the laws in force, interested students can request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and / or dispensative measures, based on the educational objectives and specific needs.

It is also possible to contact the referring teacher CInAP (Center for Active and Participated Integration - Services for Disabilities and / or DSA) of our Department, Prof.ssa Santina Chiechio.

The Medical Applied Biochemistry course aims to address issues that the student will be able to follow if he has acquired the basic knowledge of general biochemistry. In fact, in order for the student to understand the contents covered, it is essential that he has acquired the fundamental notions of the structure and function of the main biological macromolecules and the mechanisms underlying many cell regulation processes; for these reasons, students are strongly advised to follow the sequentiality of the teachings present in the study plan. In order to promote an appropriate learning process, it is suggested to pass the General Biochemistry exam before taking the Medical Applied Biochemistry exam.

•  Introduction to applied biochemistry.
  
•  Laboratory set-up and instrumentation and main biochemical methodologies
  
• ·Preparation and handling of biological samples: methods of tissue homogenization, methods of cell lysis (mechanical and non-mechanical); separation and purification of subcellular organelles;
  
• Use and preparation of buffer solutions
• Centrifugation: centrifuges, rotors, differential and density gradient centrifugation
• Chromatographic techniques: generalities and definitions.
  
• Electrophoretic techniques: general principles, electrophoretic mobility and relationship between mobility, charge, applied electric field and molecule size; polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blot; nucleic acid electrophoresis.
  
• Spectrophotometric methods for the study of biological molecules and in enzymology: generalities and definitions; absorption spectra of certain molecules of biological interest; Lambert-Beer law and quantitative assays; examples of protein and enzyme assays (unit of enzymatic activity, specific activity); enzymatic assays in kinetics and fixed-time.
• Clinical applications of enzymes: enzymes as analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

• Immunological assays: Production of monoclonal antibodies, (biosensors, direct and indirect E.L.I.S.A. methods).
  
• Restriction enzymes in recombinant DNA technology.
  
• DNA cloning and isolation techniques; gene amplification by PCR.
  
• Implications and applications of biotechnology in research, medicine and agriculture.
  
• Cell cultures: primary, secondary, cell lines and culture methods.
  

• “Biochimica Applicata” (Stoppini, Bellotti) -EdiSES
• "Metodologie biochimiche” (Bonaccorsi, Contestabile, Di Salvo) - ed. Zanichelli-CEA

Oral or written exam (with open-ended questions).

In both cases, the student will be asked at least 3 questions to verify and evaluate:

• Knowledge of the topics listed in the program;
• Knowledge of the methods and technologies covered by the examination application;
• The degree of communicative ability (use of correct scientific language – conciseness, clarity and effectiveness in response and/or argumentation);
• The ability to use the knowledge acquired to solve specific questions, demonstrating the ability to reason and make connections between the various topics.

The verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, if the conditions require it.

The grade derives from the maturity and competence demonstrated by the student in the exposition of the topics that are the subject of the questions asked. The final vote will be attended by the relevance of the answers to the questions asked, the ability to connect with other topics on the agenda, the communication skills (property of the scientific language used, conciseness, clarity and effectiveness of the answer).

LEARNING OUTCOMES (DUBLIN DESCRIPTORS)

D1. Knowledge and comprehension skills: At the end of the course the student will be able to know and understand the main biochemical methodologies, know how to describe the principles of each methodology in detail, molecular and know the applications of the techniques studied. The student will have to show that they have a mastery appropriate to the professional profile of the Pharmacist.

D2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: The student must be able to demonstrate his understanding of the concepts and theories envisaged by the course; he must therefore be able to be able to identify the most suitable technique to obtain structural and functional information of macromolecules, know how to carry out simple problems that involve the application of the techniques studied and know how to use them according to the type of study/parameter

D3. Judgment: The student will have to demonstrate their ability to independently use knowledge and concepts that allow them to reason according to the specific logic of the discipline. It will need to be able, in particular, to understand and identify a process of analytical techniques aimed at the study of a specific sample or parameter.

D4. Communication skills: The student must demonstrate that he or she is able to communicate in an in-depth, precise and comprehensive way, his or her knowledge and experimental scientific results and must demonstrate that he or she can synthesize and simplify the topics in an informative way to make them understandable by always adopting adequate and precise terminology.

D5. Learning ability: The student will have to demonstrate that they can reach conclusions independently, based on what they have learned from the program and that they can understand the potential of biochemical research. The student will acquire the capacity for interpretation and autonomous judgment of the laboratory cadres, in order to apply the acquired knowledge in the exercise of the profession.

• Electrophoretic techniques and their use
• Centrifugation
• Determination of enzyme activity
• E.L.I.S.A. methods
• Examples of applications of spectrophotometric techniques