66452 - Pharmacogenomics and Gene Therapy

Learning outcomes

The student in Animal Biotechnology knows the possibile effects of xenobiotics on hepatic and extra-hepatic metabolism, and has a good background to the drugs of biological and/or biotechnological origin, as well as to genetic therapy, and to the regulatory aspects related to the production of these drugs will be studied, as well as ethics.

Course contents

1) General concepts and principles on the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds

2) Enzymatic induction and inhibition like modulators of metabolism in animals

3) Comparison of “in vivo” and “in vitro” studies related to metabolism

4) Transgenic animals

5) General concepts and principles on the biological and biotechnological drugs

6) Advantages and disadvantages of biological/biotechnological drugs related to traditional therapy

7) Regulatory and ethical aspects of classical drugs and of biological/biotechnological drugs

8) Genetic therapy of hereditary and no-hereditary diseases

9) Anti-neoplastic therapy

10) Kinetics of biotechnological drugs and drugs for genetic therapy

11) Genetic labelling

12) Description of vectors

13) Use of biotechnology to prepare diagnostic kits

Readings/Bibliography

- Notes of lectures.

- Glick B.R., Pasternak J.J., Biotecnologia Molecolare – Principi e applicazioni del DNA ricombinante, 1° edizione italiana alla 2° americana, Zanichelli Ed., Bologna, 2003

- Lollini P.L., De Giovanni C., Nanni P., Terapia genica, Zanichelli Ed., Bologna, 2005

- Oxender D.L., Post L., Novel therapeutics from modern biotechnology – from laboratory to human testing, Springer, Berlin, 1999.

- Crommelin D.J.J., Sindelar R.D., Biotecnologie Farmaceutiche, Zanichelli Ed., 1a Edizione Italiana della Edizione inglese del 1997, Bologna, 2000.

- Gibson G., Skett P., Introduction to drug metabolism, 2nd Ed., Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd, 1999, United Kingdom (ISBN 0-7487-4444-4).

- Carli S., Ormas P., Re G., Soldani G., Farmacologia Veterinaria, Idelson-Gnocchi, Napoli, 2009.

Teaching methods

The possibile effects of xenobiotics on hepatic and extra-hepatic metabolism will be discussed inside lectures. Species-specific differences in the enzymatic profile and the consequences on the metabolism of xenobiotics will be considered.

In addition, topics about drugs of biological and/or biotechnological origin, as well as genetic therapy will be discussed. The EU legislation regarding these drugs will be focused, as well as kinetics.

The lectures will be supported by practical and supervised work at the laboratory.

Assessment methods

The knowledge of the student about the considered topics will be checked by means an oral examination.

Teaching tools

Video player and power point slides.

Links to further information

http://www.dsmvet.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Anna Zaghini