Biomarkers in human reproduction - Prof. Natalia Battista - a.y. 2022/2023
Reproductive Biotechnologies - 1st year
ATTENZIONE: i contenuti di questo corso sono relativi all'anno accademico 2022/2023
Topic outline
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Actual position: Associate Professor of Biochemistry (BIO/10) at the Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment of the University of Teramo, Italy.
February 2005- April 2006: Post-doctoral Fellow at the Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine.
November 2000-2004: Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at the School of Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy.
Principal Investigator (P.I.) of the project “Role of the Endocannabinoid System in human Lymphocytes Exposed to Microgravity”, selected by ESA (ILSRA-2009 Grant) flown on Soyuz29S-ISS-Soyuz28S during the PromISSe mission (December 2011).
Co-Principal Investigator (P.I.) of the project “Role of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the depression of human T lymphocytes activation in microgravity”, selected by NASA and ESA and flown on Soyuz17S-ISS-Shuttle ULF-2 during the BIO4 mission (October 2008).
Holder of the Italian patent “Metodo per la diagnosi in vitro della malattia di Huntington” (IT0001378173).
Referee for the following journal of science: Biochimica and Biophysica Acta (BBA); British Journal of Pharmacology; Current Medicinal Chemistry (CMC); Experimental Neurology; Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets; Human Reproduction; Human Reproduction Update; Neuroscience Letters; Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry (MRMC).
Guest editor of the Special Issue "Endocannabinoids and Reproduction” published on International Journal of Endocrinology” “(Vol. 2014, 2014)
Member of the editorial board of the journal Frontiers in Membrane Physiology and BiophysicsAssociate editor of AIMS in Molecular Science
Awarded the "Marisa Bellisario Award" as Young Talent for the Excellence in the Italian Research (2011).
Awarded the “BIO#4 Mission Team Achievement Award” by the European Space Agency, for the ROALD experiment flown on the International Space Station (2008).
Scientific interests Bioactive lipids and their role in physiological and pathological (Inflammation, neurodegeneration, immunity) processes Gravitational effects on enzyme reactions and programmed cell death; Biochemistry of differentiation process in stem cells Membranes and lipid messengers in programmed cell death and in neurodegenerative processes.INFO ABOUT THE COURSE
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE- Knowledge and understanding: The course allows the student to achieve a core of skills on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the reproductive processes. This implies the assimilation of knowledge concerning: the biochemical nature of the different classes of compounds that act as intra- and inter-cellular messengers; the inter-relationships that allow the integration of different signals along pathways that lead to biological response and, finally, the theoretical basis and practical techniques to identify and quantify the various biological macromolecules.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: At the end of the course, the theoretical knowledge of the topics treated in the course will be evaluated by a final oral examination, while the understanding of the biochemical and molecular techniques of application to the field of reproduction will be examined by a simulated laboratory test.
- Making judgements: The lectures are designed to provide students with the basic knowledge that will help them achieve their investigational organizational skills in the laboratory practice. With the support of technical and scientific staff laboratory activities will be carried out by groups of students where each student puts into practice their analytical skills and critical judgment of the results obtained in real-time.
- Communication: The communication skills of the student will be evaluated specifically through:
- Written tests in progress at the end of each teaching unit;
- Oral presentation (ppt) on a specific scientific article ;
- Final examination. - Learning skills: The course is divided into two modules delivered intensively in a restricted period of 4 weeks. They contain theoretical and practical aspects that stimulate students to develop an autonomous capacity to resolve practical problems in the laboratory and that are indispensable for their future work experience. Students must demonstrate a development of good learning skills and critical analysis, that will be evaluated throughout the intermediate tests and the final examination.
PREREQUISITE AND PREPARATORY- Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of the main concepts of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are required.
- Preparatory: None.
DUBLIN DESCRIPTORS FOR UNIT
UNIT 1- Knowledge and understanding: This unit implies the assimilation of the main features of the analytical techniques adopted in clinical and research laboratories with a particular focus on MTT assay.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: The theoretical knowledge of the topics treated in the unit 1 will be evaluated by a written examination.
- Making judgements: The lectures are designed to provide students with the basic knowledge that will help them achieve their investigational organizational skills in the laboratory practice. With the support of technical and scientific staff laboratory activities will be carried out by groups of students where each student puts into practice their analytical skills and critical judgment of the results obtained in real-time.
- Communication: The communication skills of the student will be evaluated specifically through a written test.
- Learning skills: During this unit the student will be stimulated to develop an autonomous capacity to resolve practical problems in the laboratory that are indispensable for their future work experience. Students must demonstrate a development of good learning skills and critical analysis, that will be evaluated throughout the intermediate test.
UNIT 2
- Knowledge and understanding: This unit allows the student to achieve a core of skills on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the reproductive processes. This implies the assimilation of knowledge concerning: the biochemical nature of endocannabinoids and the role played by this class of lipid mediators in female and male reproduction.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: The theoretical knowledge of the topics treated in the unit 2 will be evaluated by a written examination.
- Making judgements: The lectures are designed to provide students with the basic knowledge that will help them achieve their investigational organizational skills in the laboratory practice. With the support of technical and scientific staff laboratory activities will be carried out by groups of students where each student puts into practice their analytical skills and critical judgment of the results obtained in real-time.
- Communication: The communication skills of the student will be evaluated specifically through a written test.
- Learning skills: During this unit the student will be stimulated to develop an autonomous capacity to resolve practical problems in the laboratory that are indispensable for their future work experience. Students must demonstrate a development of good learning skills and critical analysis, that will be evaluated throughout the intermediate test.
UNIT 3
- Knowledge and understanding: This unit allows the student to achieve a core of skills on the theoretical basis and practical techniques to identify and quantify the various biological macromolecules commonly used in clinical laboratories.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: The theoretical knowledge of the topics treated in the unit 3 will be evaluated by a written examination.
- Making judgements: The lectures are designed to provide students with the basic knowledge that will help them achieve their investigational organizational skills in the laboratory practice. With the support of technical and scientific staff laboratory activities will be carried out by groups of students where each student puts into practice their analytical skills and critical judgment of the results obtained in real-time.
- Communication: The communication skills of the student will be evaluated specifically through a written test.
- Learning skills: During this unit the student will be stimulated to develop an autonomous capacity to resolve practical problems in the laboratory that are indispensable for their future work experience. Students must demonstrate a development of good learning skills and critical analysis, that will be evaluated throughout the intermediate test.
UNIT 4
- Knowledge and understanding: This unit implies the assimilation of the knowledge about the principal biomarkers of ovarian reserve. This unit allows the student to achieve a core of skills on the markers used to determine semen quality either as a complementary assessment of sperm quality or as an additional way to study in more detail the side effects of extenders or molecules associated to infertility.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: The theoretical knowledge of the topics treated in the unit 4 will be evaluated by a written examination.
- Making judgements: The lectures are designed to provide students with the basic knowledge that will help them achieve their investigational organizational skills in the laboratory practice. With the support of technical and scientific staff laboratory activities will be carried out by groups of students where each student puts into practice their analytical skills and critical judgment of the results obtained in real-time.
- Communication: The communication skills of the student will be evaluated specifically through a written test.
- Learning skills: During this unit the student will be stimulated to develop an autonomous capacity to resolve practical problems in the laboratory that are indispensable for their future work experience. Students must demonstrate a development of good learning skills and critical analysis, that will be evaluated throughout the intermediate test.
COURSE BOOKS
Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology- Author: Wilson and Walker
- Edition: Cambridge University Press, 2010, Cambridge
Gli Endocannabinoidi - Nuovi Mediatori Lipidici di Rilevanza Biomedica- Author: M. Maccarrone, V. Gasperi, M. Bari, L. Avigliano, A. Finazzi-Agrò
- Edition: Piccin , 2009, Padova
INTERMEDIATE TESTS
INTERMEDIATE TEST 1- Date:
- Type of test: Written test
INTERMEDIATE TEST 2- Date:
- Type of test: Written test
EVALUATION
- Written tests in progress at the end of each teaching unit;
- Oral presentation (ppt) on a specific scientific article;
- Final examination.
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Since the emergence of the so-called omics technology, thousands of putative biomarkers have been identified in order to develop more effective therapeutics. These opportunities can have profound benefits for patients and for the economics of healthcare. However, the transfer of biomarkers from discovery to clinical practice is still a process filled with lots of pitfalls and limitations, mostly limited by structural and scientific factors. To become a clinically approved test, a potential biomarker should be confirmed and validated using hundreds of specimens and should be reproducible, specific and sensitive. Besides the lack of quality in biomarker validation, a number of other key issues can be identified and should be addressed.
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Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. as well as they need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.
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Many different kinds of molecules transmit information between the cells of multicellular organisms. Although all these molecules act as ligands that bind to receptors expressed by their target cells, there is considerable variation in the structure and function of the different types of molecules that serve as signal transmitters. This section t discuss the major types of signaling molecules and the receptors with which they interact., and it focuses on the mechanisms by which cell receptors function to regulate cell behavior.
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In this unit, the principal biomarkers of ovarian reserve will be revised. In addition, the determination of additional markers for semen quality are explored either as a complementary assessment of sperm quality or as an additional way to study in more detail the side effects of extenders or molecules associated to infertility.
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Features of the main biochemical and molecular techniques adopted in clinical and research laboratories for the estimation of molecules used as biomarkers of fertility.
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