Study-unit EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY
| Course name | Chemistry and technology of drugs |
|---|---|
| Study-unit Code | 65982006 |
| Location | PERUGIA |
| Curriculum | Comune a tutti i curricula |
| Lecturer | Marco Gargaro |
| Lecturers |
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| Hours |
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| CFU | 6 |
| Course Regulation | Coorte 2021 |
| Supplied | 2024/25 |
| Supplied other course regulation | |
| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline biologiche e farmacologiche |
| Sector | BIO/14 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Type of learning activities | Attività formativa monodisciplinare |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | Experimental pharmacological basis for the development of new drugs. Principles of evaluation of drug efficacy and toxicity; preclinical and clinical experimentation. Cloning and validation of a drug target. |
| Reference texts | Farmacologia generale e molecolare, Clementi e Fumagalli, Edra Metodologie biochimiche e biomolecolari, Maccarone, Zanichelli. Tecniche e metodi per la biologia molecolare, Plevani, Pesole, benedetti, Amaldi, Cea. Metodologie di farmacologia sperimentale, Rosalinda Sorrentino, 2022. |
| Educational objectives | Knowledge of the experimental pharmacological methods. |
| Prerequisites | In order to be able to understand and apply the experimental procedures described within the Course, you must have successfully passed 'Farmacologia, Farmacognosia e Farmacoterapia I' exam. The same examination is a prerequisite for attending the practical course. Moreover, a good knowledge of molecular biology and a good training in math should be useful for following with profit this course. |
| Teaching methods | Theoretical lessons and practical training |
| Other information | Mandatory attendance |
| Learning verification modality | The exam consists of oral test, an interview of about 20 minutes for evaluating the knowledge level and the ability of the student to manage the acquired experimental knowledge in a pharmacologic context. |
| Extended program | Theoretical lessons: Introduction to the research of innovative drug targets and molecules as lead compounds for the development of new drug. ADMET studies. IDO1 enzyme as an example of drug target in autoimmune and cancer diseases. End-point, real-time and digital PCR as tools for the evaluation of the drug effect on gene transcription. Microarray and gene chips for the evaluation of the drug effect on the transcriptome. High throughput screening (HTS): a method for selecting ‘lead’ compounds. In vitro and ex vivo preclinical methods of drug study: cell cultures and isolated organs. Methods of study of the signal transduction for the identification of potential drug targets. In vivo preclinical study: the 3R principle; alternative methods to the animal experimentation; animals used in research and their maintenance in animal facility; the Irwin’s test; experimental models of disease. Mice genetically modified: transgenic, knock-out, knoch-in and conditional transgenic/knock-out mice. Clinical trial design: scientific and statistical hypothesis, principles of biostatistics; endpoints; bias and variability; randomization. Phases of Clinical Trials. Genetically modified organisms (OGM) for the production of oral vaccines. MicroRNAs (miRNA) as new drug targets. Practical training: Cloning, expression and validation of the enzyme IDO as a drug target. Purification and activation of murine spleen cells; RNA extraction, RT-PCR for the amplification of the drug target gene; cloning of the drug target gene in a plasmid. Transfection and expression of the drug target gene in a cell line. Validation of the drug target by analysis of the protein expression and the catalytic activity. Building of dose-response curves using the cloned drug target and evaluation of the IC50 of different molecules. |
| Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile | Goal 3: health and well-being. |