YEAR 2023
INTERNAL TEACHING
Videos and dissemination initiatives promoted by the University of Eastern Piedmont's PhD in Chemistry and Biology at DiSIT Alexandria (https://www.disit.uniupo.it/it) can be viewed on the UPO PhD in Chemistry and Biology YouTube channel.
Chemistry Teaching: Didactic Methods
Prof. Elisabetta Gabano
3 ECTS
Course of the LM in Chemical Sciences, open to PhD students and teachers of Chemistry/Sciences, with the aim of identifying teaching strategies based on the active involvement of the student, by exploiting the discussion between teachers and undergraduates/PhD students interested in a career as teachers about the problems associated with the teaching/learning of Chemistry at school and university.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress in different cell models
Prof. Elia Ranzato e Prof. Simona Martinotti
0.5 ECTS
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays an importan role in eukaryotic cells. ER is the first cell component which is involved into signal transduction and hoemostatic changes sensing. Subsequent signalling cascade could determine pro-survival or pro-apoptotic response.
Biochemistry of cancer
Prof. Valentina Audrito
1 ECTS
The tumor transformation is a complex process involving different mechanisms to sustain tumor growth and invasion. First tumor acts on its own cells by enhancing and reprogramming energy metabolism and modifying gene expression and signaling pathways, on the other hand it evades from the control of immune system by creating a tumor-supporting and immunosuppressive microenvironment sustaining its growth, survival and drug resistance. The course will summarize the main features of tumors focusing on the basis of tumor genetics, signaling, metabolic reprogramming and tumor microenvironment, fundamental aspects in promoting metastasis and drug resistance.
Computational Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
Prof. Carlos Platas-Iglesias
0.5 ECTS
This seminar is intended to provide an introduction to the computational methods that are commonly used for the characterization of metal complexes. An introductory lecture (2h) will present a brief description of different computational methods, including classical molecular mechanics/molecular dynamics, semiempirical methods, ab initio methods and density functional theory. The description of the wave function using Slater determinants and basis sets will be outlined, and the main options to incorporate relativistic effects will be presented. The second part of the seminar (3-4 h) consists in the study of a few examples of simple inorganic molecules and metal complexes using DFT methods, with the aid of the ORCA computational package. Students will use their own laptops to run the calculations under the guidance of the lecturer. The work will consist in the characterization of small molecules (for instance NH3 or the cis and trans isomers of [Pt(NH3)Cl2]), performing geometry optimizations and frequency calculations, estimating relative energies or finding transition states. By the end of the course the students will have a clear idea of the potential that computational chemistry has for the characterization of metal complexes and will learn how to perform simple calculations. This will provide the foundations for a deeper immersion in this field.
Photonic materials and photophysical methods for chemistry and biology
Prof. Flavia Artizzu
1 ECTS
Photonics, the science of light-based processes and applications, is at the heart of the Green Digital Transition for energy-efficient and performing hi-tech devices, and also key for novel and effective diagnostic methods in biology and medicine. This short course provides an overview of the materials and methods for photonic and light-based applications in chemistry, material science and biology. It starts by illustrating the basic principles of photophysics that govern the process of light emission in molecules and nanomaterials, highlighting the best design strategies for efficient light emitters. In the second part of the course, the newly emerging applications of photonics materials in the fields of digital technologies and biology/biomedicine, will be presented through real case examples.
Applications of solid-state NMR to materials
Prof. Geo Paul
1 ECTS
The course is aimed at PhD students, postdocs, and, in general, to researchers from academy and industry interested in deepening their understanding of solid-state NMR. The course covers theoretical aspects, state-of-the-art methods and applications in fields as diverse as molecular chemistry, materials, cements, and pharmaceuticals. The main topics are basic spin interactions in solids, spin Hamiltonians, structure and symmetry, principles of MAS and CP, decoupling and recoupling, applications of CPMAS, nuclei with spins I>1/2, MQ-MAS, hands-on numerical NMR spectra simulations.
Impact of environmental changes in light and sulfur availability on marine microalgae growth and photosynthesis
Prof. Caterina Gerotto
0.125 ECTS
Natural environments, both terrestrial and aquatic ones, are characterized by changes in their physicochemical parameters, like illumination and nutrients availability and chemical form. Such variations may occur with different timescales, from fast changes in the frame of seconds, to days, seasons, up to the ones through geologic eras. Photosynthetic species need to effectively face such changes, with different responses according to the timescale. They can regulate cellular functions upon abrupt and fast changes, activate acclimation strategies to the new conditions upon days and seasonal changes, or even adapt in the longer frame of time. Microalgae enclose a wide number of species belonging to different phylogenetic groups. They are central primary producers of our planet, and they show a huge variety of morphologies, sizes, metabolic diversity and are able to colonize extremely different environments. We will here focus on the effects of different light and sulfate availability on marine microalgae growth, photosynthesis and metabolic allocation of available energy and resources.
Thylakoid membranes: from structure and function to environmental biosensor applications
Prof. Cristina Pagliano
0.125 ECTS
The thylakoid membrane is the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, where the photosynthetic electron transport occurs. In plants, thylakoids are spatially divided into the stacked grana regions and the interconnecting unstacked stromal lamellae regions. In the first part, we will focus on the molecular determinants of grana stacking in plant thylakoid membranes and their dynamics induced by light variations deciphered by using a combination of proteomics and cryo-electron microscopy (tomography and TEM). Photosystem II (PSII) is a multimeric enzyme embedded in the thylakoid membranes that, in the light reactions of photosynthesis, oxidizes water, shuttling the extracted electrons to plastoquinone molecules involved in the photosynthetic electron transport. Photosynthetic herbicides are PSII-inhibitors that bind to the QB site of the D1 protein of PSII by competing with the native plastoquinone and block the electron transfer to this intermediate, thus interrupting the photosynthetic electron flow. In the second part, we will focus on an amperometric electrochemical biosensor incorporating thylakoid membranes for the detection of photosynthetic herbicides.
Use of experimental design techniques for process/product optimization and for the development of analytical methods
Prof. Elisa Robotti
1 ECTS
Experimental design techniques make it possible to identify the best set of experiments to solve a scientific problem, guaranteeing the maximum amount of information and the least number of experiments required. Approaches of this type are very effective in the industrial field for process and product optimization, but also in other contexts, such as the optimization of methods in analytical chemistry. The course aims to describe the main optimization approaches in the various fields taken into consideration and to present numerous application examples ranging from optimization in the industrial field to the development of robustness studies. Depending on the background of the students, the possibility of carrying out some exercises will be evaluated.
Nanostructured materials for the decontamination of toxic chemical agents
Prof. Chiara Bisio
0.5 ECTS
The oxidative abatement of pollutants and toxic chemical warfare agents (CWA) is conventionally achieved via stoichiometric reactions based on the use of strong oxidants with high environmental impact or via thermal degradation. In this course, the attention will be focused to the development of nanostructured catalysts able to promote selective oxidation reactions to transform toxic molecules and/or CWA in non-noxious products with reduced environmental impact. Examples related to the use of porous and layered material for the decontamination of toxic chemical agents will be given. In particular, clays (from both natural and synthetic origin) have proved to be suitable materials for the effective decontamination of highly hazardous compounds also thanks to the possibility to properly adapt their chemical properties, either by modifying the the species present in the interlayer space or the framework composition. The possible synthesis methods and the applications of nanostructured materials for the decontamination of toxic pollutants will be described.
TECHNICAL SEMINARS - Green hydrogen: possible future of the energy transition
Prof. Marcello Baricco
Prof. Leonardo Marchese
Eng. Alberto Tancini
Dr. Patrizia Maccone and Eng. Daniele Facchi
Dr. Alberto Ruffino
Dr. Fulvio Canonico
0.6 ECTS
The service promoted by the Rotary Club of Alexandria in partnership with the Department of Science and Technological Innovation (DiSIT) of the University of Eastern Piedmont - Alessandria branch, aims to promote and incentivize research on the topic of hydrogen and in particular green hydrogen for clean energy production and mobility. Hydrogen is emerging as one of the key elements for the energy transition and is at the center of the political agendas and energy strategies of many countries around the world and of the European Commission, which in the text of the Recovery Plan has provided 3 billion for its development. With this in mind, the service aims to encourage research and study on the subject, delving through technical seminars with outstanding speakers and presentation of case histories into the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies currently under development, from theory to applications, passing through the materials currently developed. The service is aimed at students in the Master of Science degree in Chemical Sciences and doctoral students in the Chemistry and Biology course.
Systematic analysis of similarities between tumor progression and embryonic development and its clinical application by artificial intelligence
Dr. Enrico Moiso
0.1 CFU
Cancer is partly a developmental disease, with malignancies named based on cell or tissue of origin. However, a systematic atlas of tumor origins is lacking. Here we map the single-cell organogenesis of 56 developmental trajectories to the transcriptomes of over 10,000 tumors across 33 cancer types. We deconvolute tumor transcriptomes into signals for individual developmental trajectories. Using these signals as inputs, we construct a developmental multilayer perceptron (D-MLP) classifier that outputs cancer origin. D-MLP (ROC-AUC: 0.974 for top prediction) outperforms benchmark classifiers. We analyze tumors from patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP), selecting the most difficult cases in which extensive multimodal workup yielded no definitive tumor type. Interestingly, CUPs form groups distinguished by developmental trajectories, and classification reveals diagnosis for patient tumors. Our results provide an atlas of tumor developmental origins, provide a tool for diagnostic pathology, and suggest developmental classification may be a useful approach for patient tumors.
The profession of biology: reality (current) and prospects (future)
Dr. Fiorenzo Pastoni
0.1 CFU
That of the biologist can not wrongly be defined as a 'young' profession when compared with other 'historical' professions of which traces can be found already in ancient history: in fact, it was born 'only' in the 1960s following the enactment of Law No. 396/1967.The above has entailed consequences that are not easy to overcome, such as insertion in scenarios of the world of work in which other professional figures were by then consolidated in their prerogatives and competencies, as well as in a consequent and adequate recognition by public opinion. Biologists, however, have always been able to avail themselves of the support of a very precise 'structural' legislation, which finds its foundation in Article 3 of the same founding law in which a broad 'object of the profession' is outlined, supplemented and updated in subsequent years and closer to us by various provisions, which have progressively traced the continuous becoming of the world of work. Of this evolution, which has affected and continues to affect both legislation and technical standardization, all biologists (but especially the younger ones grappling with the initial phase of entering the world of work) must have full awareness and knowledge, in order to be able to propose themselves to the same in the most appropriate way, supported by specific skills recognized by the Italian state.A very recent legislative development, namely the publication in the Official Gazette of Legislative Decree February 23, 2023, No. 18, which took place on March 6, 2012, demonstrates how current and appropriate the figure of the biologist is in the advance of the socio-economic reality in which we are given to live. In fact, the decree represents the implementation in our country of EU Directive 2020/2184, concerning an issue of primary importance such as the quality of water intended for human consumption. The Directive introduces the concept of the risk associated with water consumption and appropriately associates with this risk the bacterial genus Legionella, whose already considerable impact on health has been, in fact, further accentuated by the events related to the pandemic that has affected (and in some ways still affects) the international scenario.And who if not a biologist has the institutional competence, as well as the specific knowledge, to deal with that ancient but always topical problem that is the biological risk and that the pandemic itself has dramatically brought back to everyone's attention?