Personalized or precision medicine relies on tailor-made diagnosis and treatments for patients, based on the differences among the molecular background of individuals. This challenging medical area needs the specific training of professionals for the detailed knowledge about genomic structure and dynamics and advanced molecular biology techniques. Personalized Medicine 101 intends to be a fundamental platform for the understanding the basis and applications of Molecular Biology to the medical field.
The course will be structured in theoretical lectures and practical tutorials, mainly based on the use of web-based databases and tools, all of them followed by guided discussions, to cover the following modules:
- Module 1: Human genome structure and dynamics. Coding and non-coding genome and transcriptome. Basics on epigenetics and genome supra-structure. Techniques and databases for genome analysis. The main objectives of this module are the description of the human genomic structure and the consequences of the dynamic output of genomic information in the context of cell biology and human disease. Teaching time: 6h.
- Module 2: Human genetic variation and pathological consequences. Concepts of pathological and neutral genomic variations. Practical examples and general databases (dbSNP, Clinvar and OMIM). The main objectives of this module are to understand the natural and pathological human genomic variation and how to explore these variants in clinical applications. Teaching time: 3h.
- Module 3: Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and beyond. The main goal of this module is to understand the GWAS methods, their strengths and weaknesses and its clinical applications in disease prediction and therapy design. Novel approaches for wide-genomic analysis based on gene expression (eQTL and TWAS) were also covered. Teaching time: 3h.
- Module 4: Basics on Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics: practical clinical cases. The proposed objectives of this module are to use the rules of genetics to design a personalized protocol for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human diseases. This module includes case studies in oncology, pain relief and cardiology. Teaching time: 6h.
- Module 5: Advanced strategies (from RNA therapeutics to artificial intelligence). This module will include the detailed description of RNA-based therapeutics (RNAi, ASOs, aptamers and RNA-vaccines) and genome editing techniques (Guided nucleases, CRISPR and their direct applications), description of drug delivery systems, use of iPSCs and the new applications of artificial intelligence for medical purposes. The main goals of this module are to give a glimpse about how cutting-edge medical strategies can help to the treatment of rare diseases, cancer, and regeneration medicine. Teaching time: 6h.
- Module 6: Computer Aided Drug Design (CADD). This section will cover the techniques and strategies devoted to the rational drug design by structural and computational methods (Computer-aided drug design, CADD). The objectives of the module are to familiarize the students with the structure of macromolecules, the methods to determine them, and how to exploit this knowledge for the design of more effective drugs. Teaching time: 6h.
After this course you are able to
- Understand the complex human genomic structure, either at the static or the dynamic levels.
- Translate the human genomic context into specific diagnosis and treatment for a given disease by using specific methods of analysis.
- Utilize specialized databases for the retrieval of genomic data and translate them into Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics applications.
- Understand the basic principles governing the rational drug design, RNA-based therapeutics, gene editing systems and artificial intelligence platforms and their applications for tailored diagnosis and treatments.
The course is designed for
Biomedical students at any level starting from the Advanced Bachelor (Medicine, Pharmacy, Biochemistry but also other related areas) which are willing to apply the methodology of personalized and precision medicine into their clinical or research practices, but also for those interested in understanding the most advanced techniques and protocols applied for tailored diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human diseases.
Admission Requirements
For admission, we are willing to recruit biomedical students with general background in Molecular Biology, Genetics and/or Biochemistry. Basic knowledge on Bioinformatics and Computer Biology will be a positive factor to be considered for admission.
Course Fee: € 600
ECTS credits: 2
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.