The aim of the Research Doctorate in Innovative Biotechnologies in Sensory Organs Diseases is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge of innovative technologies and their application through a translational approach, combining various specialties involved in the study of sense organ diseases, including applied medical and surgical sciences and biomedical research. In recent years, the approach to studying ophthalmic and otorhinolaryngological diseases (inflammatory, dystrophic/degenerative, metabolic, and neoplastic) has significantly changed due to the availability of new diagnostic modalities, medical therapies, and surgical techniques.
Specifically, in the field of eye diseases, recent innovative therapies include the use of topical recombinant proteins, such as nerve growth factor and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, for treating challenging diseases lacking effective treatments. Additionally, the use of ex vivo limbal stem cells has recently been approved for treating limbal stem cell deficiency. The introduction of novel biomaterials and biomimetics combined with increasingly sophisticated and minimally invasive surgical techniques is also improving the outcome of diseases with broad social impacts, such as cataracts and glaucoma. Lastly, the increasing investigation of new corneal and retinal prostheses opens up new perspectives for interdisciplinary study and treatment of orphan diseases.
In the field of otorhinolaryngology, recent innovations include the use of robotic technology for increasingly precise surgical procedures, the introduction of personalized medicine and immunotherapy in head and neck cancer, the development of hearing aids and technologically advanced and miniaturized cochlear implants, and the use of monoclonal therapies in rhinosinusal diseases.
Given the multidisciplinary nature of this approach, a course is needed to not only train doctoral students in using various methodologies but also provide them with a unifying vision of the etiopathogenetic and therapeutic mechanisms involved in the development of sense organ diseases through the application of innovative technologies.
Training objectives include:
1) Research activity within an interdisciplinary group aimed at the development of a specific project.
2) Acquisition of advanced skills in the methods used for achieving specific research objectives.
3) Acquisition of methodological skills in basic research techniques and cellular and animal models through theoretical and practical training courses by doctorate teachers or scientific organizations.
4) Acquisition of methodological skills in surgical techniques through theoretical-practical training courses by doctorate teachers or participation in scientific seminars.
5) Acquisition of theoretical knowledge on innovative results in the field of research obtained through participation in scientific seminars, specialization courses, and elective activities on topics of medical and non-medical interests, congresses, meetings, and workshops.
6) Acquisition of the ability to share research results and discuss the content of scientific articles.
7) Acquisition of theoretical knowledge on the potential use of artificial intelligence and big data in the fields of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology.
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