Educational Offer - Degree Courses

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Academic year 2014/2015
Master's Degree (MSc) on CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Coordinator Prof. Rosa Alduina
Class of Master's Degree (MSc) on Biology (LM-6)
2 years
PALERMO
Number of seats in local planning: 32
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies
Course Code
2008

Course info
The 2nd cycle degree course in Cell and Molecular biology specifically aims at providing advanced competences in prokaryotes and eukaryotes biology. Therefore, the educational programme aims at providing cell- biology and molecular biology competences with respect to cell/cell, cell/matrix interactions, to biochemical and molecular mechanisms at the basis of protein turnover and folding, to understand: a) the role of cell activity regulation under the physiological and pathological point of view; b) the involved molecular and genetic mechanisms, and c) the relations between the three dimensional protein and nucleic acid structures , to identify the different genic pathways involved in the development, proliferation and differentiation of cells, in model eukaryote and prokaryote systems; the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms and their regulations in hereditary transmission and in the regulation of genic expression; the electro-physiological and functional mechanisms of transportation and communication systems in biological membranes of cell motility as well as the specialised functions of individual cells. This training is integrated with the biochemical, genetic and cytogenetic methodologies as well as with knowledge related to recombinant technologies and to the use of bioinformatics tools for studying functional genomics. Finally, the educational programme provides a super-disciplinary vision of the molecular, biochemical, genetic mechanisms at the basis of life, growth, development and differentiation of animal organisms, and adaptation to environmental conditions. To achieve these objectives, the course is organised as follows: - the normal length of the 2nd cycle degree course is 2 years; to obtain the 2nd cycle degree, students should acquire 120 credits and pass a final examination. - Courses are organised in semesters, (at least 13 weeks). Frontal teaching corresponds to 66 credits of class specific and integrative activities; elective activities are awarded with 9 credits, and the remaining 45 credits correspond to practice and internship and to laboratory activities to prepare the experimental dissertation, under the guidance of a supervising professor. Practice periods may be spent both in University laboratories and in other Universities or laboratories of Italian and foreign research agencies; these activities not only provide useful techniques for the experimental dissertation, but also to favour cultural exchanges and possible scientific cooperation. The experimental dissertation/internship is the foremost occasion for the practical and experimental application of the received education. - The structure and articulation of each teaching (single module or integrated course) and of any other educational activity are defined each year in the Educational Programme and in the Students' guide. - Credits will be acquired by students after passing the relevant examinations and, in the case of stage/practice/experimental dissertation , through the evaluation of the supervising tutor.
Graduates in Cellular and Molecular Biology may find employment opportunities in public and private research institutions, industrial design or quality control laboratories, basic and specialized diagnostic laboratories, laboratories for environmental analysis, public administrations as public officials with specific technical skills. They may spend the acquired skills in: Companies and public laboratories operating mainly in the control of human and/or industrial activities, such as the zoo-prophylaxis; agricultural control (for example: control of the spread of infections in plants grown); or environmental and hygienic control, where molecular/genetic skills are needed; phylogenetic tests; in the Police Departments of Scientific Investigations requiring specialists able to perform DNA analysis on biological findings Private companies operating mainly in the pharmaceutical industry. In many of these businesses, the molecular biologist may find employment in the Research and Development laboratories (eg. General toxicology, chemical safety, bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, safety of used biotechnologies, conventional and non-conventional viral validation studies, overall safety assessment). They may also deal with the Quality Control to ensure that products, processes and procedures correspond to the standards of quality and safety Private laboratories providing services in the biomedical, pharmaceutical and environmental field; not only in basic laboratories but also in specialized laboratories that perform genetic testing and molecular diagnosis on different pathologies (cancer, viral, etc.), paternity testing, karyotyping etc.; food diagnostic tests and identification of GMOs; toxicological tests for the identification of drugs and substances; use of molecular biomarkers for monitoring of terrestrial and marine pollution levels
It consists of the discussion of a written scientific dissertation, presenting original experimental results related to a research project, or part of it, obtained during the internship in the scientific facility where the experimental dissertation project will be carried out. The research project will be carried out under the guidance of a Faculty member(Full professor, associate professor, researcher) acting as a tutor.. The final examination may, in relation to particular needs, to be discussed in English and in the dissertation might be written in the same foreign language.

course outline
Teachings first year
credits Term Val. Area Scientific sector
01597 - CELL BIOLOGY GERACI (PA)GERACI FABIANA 6.0 1 V B BIO/06
05176 - BIOCHEMICAL METHODOLOGIES D'ANNEO (PA)D'ANNEO ANTONELLA 6.0 1 V B BIO/10
15559 - BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS OF CELLULAR FUNCTIONS GIULIANO (PA)GIULIANO MICHELA 6.0 1 V B BIO/10
17195 - MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY SERIO (PO)SERIO ROSA MARIA 6.0 1 V B BIO/09
17196 - ELEMENTS OF BIOPHYSICS LEVANTINO (RU)LEVANTINO MATTEO 6.0 1 V C FIS/07
03560 - GENETICS OF MICROORGANISMS PUGLIA (PQ)PUGLIA ANNA MARIA 6.0 2 V B BIO/19
13906 - RECOMBINANT TECHNOLOGIES WITH BIOINFORMATICS APPLICATIONS RAGUSA (RU)RAGUSA MARIA ANTONIETTA 6.0 2 V B BIO/11
16480 - MOLECULAR GENETICS AND GENETIC AND CYTOGENETIC METHODOLOGIES - INTEGRATED COURSE DI LEONARDO (PA)DI LEONARDO ALDO 12.0 2 V
MOLECULAR GENETICS LENTINI (PA) 6.0 B BIO/18
GENETIC AND CYTOGENETIC METHODOLOGIES DI LEONARDO (PA) 6.0 C BIO/18
Teachings second year
credits Term Val. Area Scientific sector
07553 - PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 25.0 1 G F
08308 - FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS GIANGUZZA (CU)GIANGUZZA FABRIZIO 9.0 1 V B BIO/11
05917 - FINAL EXAMINATION 20.0 2 G E
Free subjects 12.0 D
Explaination
Term Term/Semester
Val. Valutation: V = mark in 30/30, G = note
(*) Teaching attended in english
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