DESIGN OF BIOPHARMACEUTICALS

Degree course: 
Corso di Second cycle degree in MOLECULAR AND INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2016/2017
Year: 
2
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2017/2018
Course type: 
Supplementary compulsory subjects
Credits: 
4
Period: 
Second semester
Standard lectures hours: 
32
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (32 hours)
Requirements: 

Basic knowledge of Biochemistry, Structural biochemistry, Pharmacology and Organic Chemistry.

The examination is designed to assess the skills acquired by the student concerning the topics of the course
The exam consists in an oral evaluation. Marks are expressed on a scale of 30: the examination is successful if a score  18/30 is gained.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

Design of biopharmaceuticals is a course in which concepts of chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry acquired during the previous courses are employed to understand the mechanism of action and strategies for the design of new generation of drugs.
The course is aimed at the description of the bases of drug action (both small- and macro-molecules) and of the physiological/pathological functions of their targets, as well as at the description of new classes of drugs (for example, therapeutic proteins). The course aims to provide the basis for a comprehensive understanding of the strategies of rational drug design.

Learning outcomes
• Cognitive skills
- Acquisition of the fundamental elements that affect the bioavailability and function (in general) of drugs
- Obtaining of the information necessary for the understanding of the molecular basis of drug action at their targets
- Knowledge of the main strategies of drug design (also from a computational point of view).
• Learning abilities
- ability to read, understand and criticize a scientific text concerning the course topics (in English)
- ability to use these knowledge to evaluate the aims and/or the results of a research project both on the qualitative and quantitative point of view
• Practical and subject specific skills
- Ability to identify the main factors that may be critical for the efficacy of a drug.
- Ability to assume the strategies and approaches (also computational) for drugs design.
- ability to propose an analytical problem-solving approach
• Communication skills
- ability to identify and express relevant information
- demonstrate effective communication skills by practicing, reading, writing and speaking clearly
- demonstrate the ability to resume and present the scientific information

Action and Design of Biopharmaceutics 3.0 CFU (24 hours):
- Introduction to drug design
- The structure of proteins
- Structure/function relationshis in proteins with are target of drugs
- Design of novel drugs
- Molecular modelling in structure-based drug design
- Molecular medicine
- Therapeutical Proteins
Hormones
Enzymes
- Modification of therapeutical proteins (PEGylation)

Bioinformatic tools for the investigation of drug-proteins interactions– 1 CFU (8 hours)
- Visualization of macromolecule
- Molecular docking

Slides of lessons: from the Elearning website
Lecture notes and scientific papers: from the Elearning website
Open source/freeware softwares

Lectures: 32 hours
The course consists of 32 hours of frontal lessons (4 CFUs). Lessons are supported by PPT slide projection.

Borrowed from

click on the activity card to see more information, such as the teacher and descriptive texts.