Educational objectives
The Research Doctorate represents a post-graduate advanced training course on research topics of high social impact and wide-ranging concerning pathologies which, epidemiologically, occupy the first places in terms of diffusion and, according to WHO projections, are destined to increase. Infectious and inflammatory diseases represent a serious public health problem and are among the main causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide.
In these pathologies there is a failure or chronicity of the immune response, which instead would have the potential ability to successfully cope with their onset or progression. In order to treat or prevent inflammatory or infectious states it is necessary to understand in depth the mechanisms underlying the onset of the pathology, how the immune system controls inflammation, the strategies responsible for evasion from the immune system, the effects on the host following the activation of an immune response directed against itself (autoimmune disease) and the risk factors predisposing to the pathology.
The Doctorate intends to attract young researchers with the aim of training and motivating a new generation of scientists by transferring to them knowledge and technical skills that will allow them to study infectious diseases and the activation of the immune response in innovative, exciting and productive ways. The doctoral course provides skills in strategic research areas at an international level, such as: i) the study of basic pathogenetic mechanisms that could lead to the identification of new diagnostic tools, the development of vaccines and other interventions for prevention and control of infectious diseases and the identification of new therapeutic targets; ii) the analysis of immune and metabolic responses in inflammatory and immune diseases as possible targets for new pharmacological therapies and for the development of personalized therapies; iii) the study of rare diseases; iv) the identification of risk factors for the prevention of chronic-degenerative diseases.
The Doctorate promotes, also thanks to the countless international collaborations activated by the Doctorate teachers, a multidisciplinary approach that includes the omics sciences (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, metagenomics, secretomics) in association with the traditional biological sciences (immunology, molecular biology and cellular, microbiology, biochemistry, physiology, genomics, pathology, anatomy, pharmacology and public health), with the aim of evaluating the uses of research products for improving the health of the population. Infectious and immune-mediated diseases currently under study include malaria, toxoplasmosis, fungal (Candida and Aspergillus) and viral (coronavirus and other respiratory viruses) diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer, autoimmune diseases, muscular dystrophy/atrophy and rare diseases.
Further immunological studies focus on the genetic regulation of the immune response, the interaction between the innate immune system and gut microbial communities, and the function and regulation of cytokines involved in inflammation.
Location and Facilities
The main and specific objective of the Doctorate course is to train new generations of highly professional and multidisciplinary researchers in the field of inflammatory, immune and infectious diseases, capable of meeting and successfully tackling the scientific challenges represented by the knowledge of the human genome, inflammatory and infectious diseases, microorganisms and new and increasingly sophisticated technologies. In a transversal sense, the interdisciplinarity of the course and the important national and international collaborations of the Doctorate teachers will allow students to acquire knowledge in the field of innovative and cutting-edge preventive and therapeutic strategies (such as, for example, in the field of biopharmaceuticals and of personalized medicine) capable of counteracting the emerging challenges in the field of infectious diseases and inflammatory pathologies. The Doctorate will contribute to the creation of new links between Italian and foreign universities and the industrial world in a specialized scientific field, yet characterized by rapid evolution and multidisciplinarity. All doctoral students will be able to benefit from the interaction and participation/collaboration with the partner companies. In this context, students will have the opportunity to develop applied research projects and participate in the transfer of scientific results to the industrial world. The Doctorate course is divided into 2 curricula which provide for the development of complementary skills in the field of basic, pre-clinical and clinical research and in academic, national and international, and corporate contexts. The students themselves will become protagonists and collaborators of the Doctoral course, proposing and managing scientific research themselves and in collaboration with the course teachers. The Doctorate aims to broaden and deepen the scientific knowledge of doctoral students also through a structured training course developed in collaboration with teachers with a broad national and international scientific profile. At the end of the Doctorate, students will have acquired familiarity with the most innovative technologies of cellular and molecular biology. Furthermore, they will possess notions of a high professional level in the topics of biology of the host-pathogen relationship, inflammatory-based pathologies, immunogenetics and translational immunology and biostatistics, which will allow them to have a wide range of professional opportunities in the academic and industrial world.
Curricula
Integrative biology of the host-pathogen relationship:
The curriculum introduces students to recent advances in the biology of infectious diseases and provides the basis for conducting research on such diseases. The program focuses on the use of omics sciences (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metagenomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, secretomics), traditional biological sciences such as molecular and cellular biology, immunology, genetics and epidemiological methodology. In particular, given the scientific expertise of several PhD supervisors, the research activities are focused on the study of fungi (Candida and Aspergillus), bacteria (with particular attention to drug-resistant bacteria), viral agents (coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses ) and protozoa (Plasmodium and Toxoplasma)..
Integrated Biological Strategies in Genetic, Immuno-Metabolic, and Oncological Pathologies:
The curriculum focuses on acquiring specific skills in the interface between immune and metabolic responses in oncological, autoimmune, and genetic pathologies with the aim of developing innovative therapies. Great attention is given to immunosuppressive enzymes that catabolize amino acids and the role of immunometabolic genes in inflammatory and immune diseases, as well as to the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in pathologies such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, autoimmune diseases, muscular dystrophy and atrophy, and rare diseases. The approach to various pathologies is translational and aims at identifying biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.
Job Opportunities
At the end of the training course, doctoral students will have acquired high professional level knowledge regarding disciplines addressed during the Doctoral program and will be able to promote the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge, both in the academic and industrial fields. This will allow PhDs both access to a university career and placement in public and private research bodies, or in specialized companies (for example: pharmaceutical, biotechnological, nutraceutical companies and hospitals). The proposed training path and the international framework of the Doctorate will facilitate this process by providing students with the opportunity to access internationally prestigious post-doctoral scholarships, such as Marie-Curie grants and EMBO grants, or to national and international research programmes for young researchers (SIR, ERC starting grant, AIRC). Furthermore, the interaction and the study/research periods carried out at the partner companies will allow the PhD students to quickly come into contact with the industrial world and will provide a competitive advantage for possible hiring within the same companies. The Doctorate also lays the foundations for the possible creation of start-ups and spin-offs by young researchers. Finally, PhD students are regularly notified with calls for temporary or permanent positions issued by scientific associations, scientific journals, pharmaceutical industries and Italian and foreign universities. The implementation of a monitoring system for professional opportunities is envisaged and will be made available already during the PhD course.
Academic Pathway
The doctoral research programs have a duration of three years. Students are required to attend courses and engage in study and research activities consistently and regularly, adhering to the rules and regulations established by the Faculty.