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

MODULE 1 – Diagnostic Imaging

X-ray imaging (~12 hours)

• Interaction of radiation with matter
• Sources
• Detection
• Projection imaging
  • Image quality in X-ray imaging
• Computed Tomography (CT)
  • Reconstruction techniques in CT

Nuclear Imaging (~6 hours)

• Sources
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
• Single-Photon Computed Tomography (SPECT)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) (~6 hours)

• Physical principles of NMR
• Image formation and sequences
• Structural imaging
• Functional imaging
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging

MODULE 2 – Optical imaging

1. Principles of Fluorescence and Fluorescence microscopy (~12 hours)
   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. Optical microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Contrast and Resolution. Confocal microscope. Two-photon microscope. Total Internal Reflection Microscope. Super-resolution microscopy
2. Fluorescent Biosensors: general properties (~4 hours)
   1. Molecular scheme of a biosensor. Fluorescent biosensor
   2. Binding equilibrium and kinetics. Diffusion. Kinetic resolution
   3. Bio-sensing schemes. FRET and its use in biosensing
   4. Precision and accuracy
   5. l-Ratiometry and its effect on binding constants
   6. Lifetime imaging and phasor approach
   7. Organic protein fluorescent biosensors
3. Fluorescent proteins as biosensing units (~4 hours)
   1. Structure and properties of the fluorescent proteins
   2. pH sensitivity and pH biosensors; chloride biosensors
   3. FRET couples for biosensors. FRET schemes
   4. Photochromic fluorescent proteins
4. Focus on novel sensing schemes: lanthanides (~2 hours)
   1. Structure and photophysical properties of lanthanides
   2. Photophysical detection schemes based on lanthanides
5. Focus on novel sensing schemes: environmental sensors (~2 hours)
   1. Polarity sensors
   2. Viscosity sensors

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.