Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Cattolica International

Course details

Year 1

The revolution of stem cell research (10 ECTS)

  • Stem cell biology + LAB
  • Cellular secretome: components and properties + LAB
  • Stem cell research: an anthropological question
  • Tissue regeneration during evolution: from invertebrates to vertebrates

Advanced stem cell biology (8 ECTS)

  • Genome editing and stem cell reprogramming
  • Mechanobiology and signal transduction
  • Omic profiling of stem cells

Analytical tools in applied biology (10 ECTS)

  • Basics of imaging and spectroscopy
  • Fundamentals of programming for biological sciences
  • Machine learning for biological sciences
  • Protein modeling

Mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration (9 ECTS)

  • Cellular basis of degenerative processes + LAB
  • Cellular basis of regenerative processes
  • Environmental toxicants in tissue degeneration
  • Inflammation in tissue degeneration (inflammaging)

Biomaterials and tissue engineering (8 ECTS)

  • Nanomaterials
  • Principles of biomaterial engineering and scaffold design
  • Science at the nanoscale: physics and chemistry of surfaces

Translational Insights: analysis of current science, grant preparation and intellectual property in regenerative medicine (8 ECTS)

  • Academic grant writing for regenerative medicine applications: salient features of a successful proposal + LAB
  • Critical reasoning - analysis of current science +LAB
  • The processes of patent application + LAB

Translating stem cell research from bench to bed (10 ECTS)

  • Basics of applied economics
  • Introduction to Ethics in clinical trials: ethical committees
  • Regulatory aspects in ATMPS and beyond
  • Technology transfer in biotechnology translating into the clinics: research processes and phases of clinical trials

Scientific English 1 (2 ECTS)

Italian language* (2 ECTS)
*For mother tongue Italian students, Advanced English (2 CFU)

 

Year 2

Basic laboratory (2 ECTS)

  • Laboratory safety

From in vitro to in vivo preclinical models, towards clinical applications (8 ECTS)

  • Advanced therapies in immune-related diseases
  • Animal models for regenerative medicine
  • Microfluidic-based models: organ on-chip, human on-chip, bioreactors
  • Modeling neurodegenerative disorders
  • Statistics and mathematical models in biology

Laboratory 1: cellular and molecular biology laboratories (5 ECTS)

  • Cell culture LAB: cell isolation and culture
  • Molecular biology LAB

Laboratory 2: advanced imaging and preclinical studies laboratories (10 ECTS)

  • Advances in imaging and spectroscopy LAB
  • Animal experimentation LAB
  • Flow cytometry LAB
  • Imaging in cell biology: techniques, technology and tools LAB

Scientific English 2 (2 ECTS)

Internships abroad or in Italy (4 ECTS)

Experimental thesis (14 ECTS)

 

The graduate in "Innovations in Biotechnology applied to Regenerative Medicine" is someone capable of working in multiple areas of research, development, production and services at public or private institutions and biotech companies.


The graduate will have obtained the necessary skills for the advancement and development of scientific and technological innovation in the field of biotechnology applied to regenerative medicine and will be able to manage and design biotechnological methodologies for the development and production of new therapeutic strategies.

The graduate will have many career options that include:

  • research and service laboratories in public or private institutions (universities, research organisations)
  • biotech and pharmaceutical industries, in research and development, regulatory and quality control activities
  • national and international regulatory and certification bodies
  • companies that carry out and support technology transfer activities
  • institutions involved in activities complementary to biotechnology (publishing and scientific communication, service providers, grant writing and scientific support agencies)

In addition, after passing the State examination, the graduate can register with the Professional Order of Biologists (Senior List), thus being able to access career opportunities in the health sector.

The graduate in 'Innovations in Biotechnology applied to Regenerative Medicine' may also apply for a PhD and other post-graduate specialty  schools with access reserved to 'non-medics' as per I.D. no. 716/2016, as well as to similar post-graduate courses at foreign universities.

Classes will start on September 30th, 2024.


The academic calendar will be available in July 2024. 
For reference: find here the calendar of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences for the academic year 2023/24. 

Students are required to attend theology teachings aimed at offering a reasoned and critical knowledge of the Christian message.