Biology and Genetics Applied to Precision Pharmacology

The course will provide students with a solid knowledge of pharmacogenetics, epigenetics and of the techniques and methods developed to analyze them, deepening the role of epigenetic modifications in the pathogenesis of diseases and the development of drugs with epigenetic targets and the contribution of genomic and epigenetic mutations to different susceptibility to xenobiotics. The course also aims to provide the tools to understand new generation strategies and approaches associated with the use of oligonucleotides, gene therapy and cell therapy.
Furthermore, the course will provide students with the necessary tools for understanding the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying development and differentiation. In particular, the course will provide solid knowledge on the processes of cell proliferation, communication, migration and death, during development and differentiation, as well as on the impact of gene mutations on these processes. Finally, the basic and advanced technologies for the creation of experimental models for the study of gene expression and functionality will be illustrated.

At the end of the course the student will have to demonstrate that he/she has acquired knowledge of the principles underlying pharmacogenetics and epigenetics in the field of pharmacology and of examples of oligonucleotides used as drugs, gene therapy and cell therapy. Furthermore, the student will have acquired knowledge of the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate the development and differentiation of multicellular organisms and the techniques used for the development of cellular and animal models for experimental purposes, understanding the scientific and methodology used for the functional study of genes involved in developmental and differentiation biology.