In recent years, there has been a spectacular development in Genetics and Molecular Biology. These two disciplines have progressively integrated, exchanging conceptual categories and experimental methods, and currently represent the central and unifying theme of modern biology. Classic research in Genetics and Molecular Biology, such as the study of the structure and function of genetic material, has recently undergone an unimaginable acceleration with the characterization of entire genomes (genomics) and their corresponding profiles of RNA expression (transcriptomics) and proteins (proteomics). These findings now offer powerful means of investigation for the integrated study of molecular processes that underlie the regulation of cellular development, differentiation, and proliferation. They also offer unique opportunities for genetic-molecular analysis of physiological and pathological processes and for the development of therapies for genetic and degenerative diseases. Finally, modern genomic acquisitions provide an essential tool for the interpretation of evolutionary processes and the analysis of the genetic structure of human populations.
The topics discussed are now addressed using sophisticated genetic analysis methodologies, advanced techniques of genetic engineering and reverse genetics, as well as biochemical characterization of biological macromolecules and increasingly powerful bioinformatics tools in global or “omic” approaches for the study of the structure and function of entire genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes. Of particular relevance is the use of CRISPR Cas9 genomic editing systems, which have revolutionized biomedical research and allow for more accurate study of gene function. These methodologies have favored the generation of animal and plant model systems, useful both in vitro and in vivo for basic and applied research.
All this has created new areas of research and expanded existing ones. There has therefore been a strong demand for specialists in this field. The educational objectives of the PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology are to create specialists capable of operating with scientific originality and methodological competence in the most modern and advanced sectors of genetic-molecular research, both basic and applied, both within the University and at Public and Private Research Institutions, Biomedical Research Institutes and Industry.
The course is structured over three years during which the PhD students, in addition to research activities and cultural exchanges with foreign laboratories, attend general and monographic lessons as well as specialist seminars and group discussions with high-profile Italian or foreign teachers affiliated with academic institutions or research entities.
In addition, soft skills courses are planned, for building social and communication skills important for research work and for entering the world of employment. The knowledge of the English language is required for all activities involving the PhD student, from seminars to moments of presentation, exchange and discussion of results, up to the writing of the doctoral thesis.
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