Molecular pharmacology and immunology

The aim of course is to provide an exhaustive background knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of actions of drugs, and to provide information on the pharmacological modulation of cellular responses, the molecular aspects of receptors, modulation of intracellular signaling and gene expression. Drugs are considered not only for their therapeutic functions but also as tools to investigate biological phenomena. Immunology is a rapid growing field of research in medicine and attracts a lot of attention for its contribution in various diseases such as infection diseases, cancer and auto-immunity. This is an advanced course in the field of immunology, and will go in-depth, at a molecular level.

By the end of the course students will have built a strong background in the most recent advances in the fields of pharmacology and immunology. In particular, after the corse the student:
- will know the molecular mechanisms of several class of drugs and the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of the immune system in the contexts discussed within the course;
- will be able to apply the acquired principles in order to choose drugs as appropriate tools to explore and study intracellular signaling;
- will know and be able to apply the experimental methodologies to study pharmacological activities and molecular immunology in a research laboratory;
- will be able to apply the acquired principles in order to understand the experimental procedures described in scientific articles and to interpret them critically;
- know the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of the immune system in the contexts discussed within the course;
- be able to apply the acquired principles in order to understand the experimental procedures described in scientific articles and to interpret them critically;
- Know and be able to apply the experimental methodologies to study molecular immunology in a research laboratory.