B030300 - METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF STEM CELLS AND MICROENVIRONMENT

Italian

Tissue regeneration; summary of the content of the course “Experimental Pathology” (1st year).
General criteria for the study of stem and progenitor cells, referring in particular to haematopoietic regeneration in adult individuals. Clonal and non-clonal, in vitro and in vivo, methods for the study of these cells. Quantitative adaptation of in vitro non-clonal methods. Methods for the study of embryonal stem cells. Examples of application of diverse methods to specific research projects.

Teaching material made available by the teachers on the Moodle platform.

The course aims at making the students acquainted with methods and techniques for the study of stem and clonogenic progenitor cells, a main field of biomedical science and technologies. The educational target of the course is to enable the students to get information, on the basis of the already acquired theoretical knowledge relative to the mechanisms of tissue regeneration (object of the 1st year’s course “Experimental Pathology”), about the technologies enabling the practical application of that knowledge to actual research projects or advanced diagnostic procedures (the so-called “theory of practice”).

To have acquired, from the course of Experimental Pathology of the 1st year, basic theoretical knowledge relative to the topics of the course.

Lectures.

The teachers can be contacted by students via Email toask for explanation or deepening of the issues of lectures.

Oral examination consisting of 1-2 questions about the topics of the course. The final will be determined by evaluating clarity of explanation, ability to connect different issues and communication skills of the student.

The course will develop following the order of topics listed below.

1) General theoretical issues relative to the mechanisms of tissue regeneration and to stem and clonogenic progenitor cells (recall and summary of the 1st year’s course “Experimental Pathology”).
2) General criteria for the study of stem and progenitor cells and classification of the relative methods of investigation, with particular emphasis on haematopoietic regeneration in adult individuals.
3) Clonal methods in vitro.
4) Clonal methods in vivo.
5) Non-clonal methods in vitro.
6) Non-clonal methods in vivo.
7) Correspondence between different methods in the capacity of detection of the same subset of stem or progenitor cells.
8) Adaptation of non-clonal methods in vitro to the yield of quantitative data.
9) Methods for the study of embryonal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.
10) Application of different methods to the study of normal haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
11) Application of different methods to the study of leukaemic stem and progenitor cells.