Concepts of cell and molecular biology

Lectures, with the aid of slides. The teacher can show tutorials found on the web;

elearning website: download of ppts and communications between teacher-student;

type of interaction between student and teacher: meeting, email, skype;

language: English

Cerase's module

•  Introduction to Biotechnology for Neurosciences
• Epigenetics and Chromatin (writers, readers and chromatin remodelers)
• Epigenetics and Chromatin II (DNA modifications and genomic elements)
• RNA processing, modifications and the epitrascriptome
• RNA biology, RNA-protein interactions and quality control
• Gene expression regulation by non-coding RNA
• Long non-coding RNAs in neurological, neuro-dev/psy disorders
• Strategies for crossing the blood brain barrier
• CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its applications to neuroscience
• X chromosome inactivation (XCI) and its role in female neurobiology
• X inactivation reversal for treatment of neurological disorders
• Selected approaches of gene therapy in neuroscience

Bizzarri’s module

1. Light-matter interactions and optical microscopy
   1. Light, color, waves
   2. Geometrical optics
   3. Diffraction and interference in image formation
   4. Microscope design
   5. Diffraction and spatial resolution
   6. Contrast in image formation: bright-field and dark-field microscopy
2. Fluorescence microscopy
   1. Definitions, empirical approach, quantum-mechanical basis of the fluorescence process, Jablonski diagram
   2. Optical read-outs of fluorescence: intensity, wavelength, lifetime and anisotropy
   3. Excited state reactions and relaxation
   4. Fluorescence quenching
   5. Optical microscopy and fluorescence microscopy
   6. Confocal microscope
   7. Two-photon microscope
   8. Total Internal Reflection Microscope
   9. Binding by fluorescence microscopy: Forster Resonance Energy Transfer
   10. Dynamics by fluorescence microscopy: Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
3. Super-resolution microscopy
   1. Toraldo’s statement on the physical basis of resolution
   2. Bistability and information
   3. The stochastic approach: PALM, STORM, and SOFI techniques
   4. The deterministic approach: STED and RESOLFT techniques
   5. The hardware: structured illumination and beyond.

Papers (reviews) selected by the teacher.

Use consultation hours to fill any gap

The oral examination consists of an interview between the candidate and the teachers. During the oral examination the candidate may also be asked to solve "think as a scientist" or to try to approach an experimental problem with the right scientific plan. The duration of the interview is about 40 minutes, the number of questions is generally 4 (2 each module).