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Barbara BARBONI

Reproductive Biotechnologies - 1st year

Topic outline

  • PERSONAL DETAILS
    Barbara Barboni
    Born in Bologna the June 26, 1964
    Mother of Iacopo from 1996
    E-Mail: bbarboni@unite.it

    ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
    ° From 1986 to 1990 Internal student of the Animal Physiology Unit of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bologna
    ° 1990: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine cum laude, University of Bologna discussing an experimental thesis entitled "Developmental competence of oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro"
    ° 1993: PhD in Neuroendocrinology, University of Bologna

    BIBLIOMETRIC INDICATORS on Google Scholar
    h-index 32
    h-index last 10 years 21

    Total citation more than 3800


    SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION ACTIVITY
    -Published more than 250 scientific manuscripts, 98 of those are inserted in PubMed Central and publisher web sites, 
    - Published more than 300 abstracts related to national and international meeting attendances 
    - Co-authors of ten scientific international books 

    ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
    ° 1993: Research in Veterinary Physiology, University of Teramo, Italy
    ° 1998: Associate Professor in Veterinary Physiology, University of Teramo, Italy
    ° From 1999: Full professor in Veterinary Physiology, University of Teramo

    ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

    °2011-2015 Rector’s delegate for research planning, University of Teramo
    °From 2001 Chair of the Basic and applied bioscience Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo
    °2000-2013 and from 2016 Coordinator of the doctoral program in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology    

    From 2014 Member of Interuniversity National Consortium of Bio-Oncology (CINBO) as MIUR member. 

    INFO ABOUT THE COURSE

    Objectives of the course:

    • Knowledge and understanding: The course provide a deepened knowledge on the endocrine, paracrine and autocrine mechanisms as well the signalling pathways involved in oocyte differentiation, growth, maturation and activation.
      The advanced theoretical training is required to take on the methods applied to the study/research of the female gamete and to translate cell knowledge to the reproductive medicine protocols of the in vitro maturation (IVM) and of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The ability of students to perform IVM and IVF represents, the major practical objective of the course.
      To this aim approximately the 40% of the lessons will be carried out in the training lab where the students could practice individually the protocols of semen capacitation, oocyte maturation and fertilization.
    • Applying knowledge and understanding: Acquisition of the main mechanisms involving in female gamete specialisation and their application for in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilisation protocol rallied to different mammalian species.
    • Making judgements: To be able to develop a critic approach.
    • Communication: To elaborate structured concepts and propose original practical solution.
    • Learning skills: Develop themes and design protocosl aimed to the use of female gamete for research and medical purposes.


    PREREQUISITE AND PREPARATORY

    • Prerequisite: In order to face the course, the student have to own basic knowledge of cytology, cell physiology and cell culture.
    • Preparatory: None.

    "DUBLIN" DESCRIPTORS FOR UNIT 


     Unit 1. Fetal and post-natal oogenesis: basic principles

    • Knowledge and understanding: Acquisition of the biological aims of the oogenesis in mammals.
    • Applying knowledge and understanding:  The student will be confident to link theoretical information to practical requests derived from research and service sectors.
    • Making judgements:  To be able to develop a critic approach.
    • Communication: Acquisition of theoretical information and technical methodology for understanding, use and management gamete biology for biotechnologies purposes
    • Learning skills:  Develop themes aimed for critical approach.


     Unit 2: Post natal oogenesis: mechanisms and strategy

    • Knowledge and understanding:  The course aims at discussing the functional relations and mechanisms connecting post natal oocyte specialization and totipotency
    • Applying knowledge and understanding: Understand and measure the effects of post natal oogenesis. Understand the contribution of oocyte competence in the success of reproductive biotechnologies.
    • Making judgements: Students shall be able to grasp the complexity of biochemical mechanisms driving post natal oogenesis and shall master the critical thinking, showing the ability to formulate personal analysis and draw comparisons in a comparative outlook.
    • Communication: Students attending classes on a regular basis shall develop a specific ability to integrate and communicate theoretical frames and empirical outputs trained in lab.
    • Learning skills: Students are expected to develop theoretical and practical abilities required to draw focused research questions as well as generalizing scientific propositions.


      Unit 3: Fetal oogenesis: rule and mechanims

    • Knowledge and understanding:  The course aims to transfer a deepen knowledge of main events that occur to reproductive system during the fetal life as a prerequisite for the future reproductive health and fertility.
    • Applying knowledge and understanding:  The student will be able to move knowledge and techniques towards the reproductive biotechnologies protocols applied either to medicine or research purposes
    • Making judgements:  The student will be able to develop a critic approach and propose original solutions.
    • Communication:  The student will be able to expose structured concepts and elaborate practical solutions related to reproductive biotechnologies procedures and challenges.
    • Learning skills: At the end of the course the student will be able to analyze, understand and process strategies oocyte- based. He/she will acquire the tools needed to measure basic results of IVM/IVF and make any corrections. Will acquire professional skills in line with current assisted reproductive technologies needs.



    COURSE BOOK

    The Physiology of Reproduction


    Germ Cells and Fertilization; Vol 2


    Fallopian Tubes


    RESEARCH MATERIAL

    In vitro grown sheep preantral follicles yield oocytes with normal nuclear-epigenetic maturation

    • Author: Barboni B, Russo V, Cecconi S, Curini V, Colosimo A, Garofalo ML, Capacchietti G, Di Giacinto O, Mattioli M.
    • Review: PLoS One, numero , 2012
    • Link ebook: Open access su PUBMED.


    Characterization of the methylation status of five imprinted genes in sheep gametes

    • Author: Colosimo A., Di Rocco G., Curini V., Russo V., Capacchietti G., Berardinelli P., Mattioli M., Barboni B.
    • Review: Anim Genet., numero 40 (6), 2006
    • Pages: 900-908


    Modifications in chromatin morphology and organization during sheep oogenesis

    • Author: Russo V, Martelli A, Berardinelli P, Di Giacinto O, Bernabò N, Fantasia D, Mattioli M, Barboni B.,
    • Review: Microsc Res Tech., numero 70(8), 2007
    • Pages: 733-744


    • Roles of the oviduct in mammalian fertilisation

    • Author: Coy P., Garcıa-Vazquez FRA, Visconti PE, Aviles M.
    • Riview: REPRODUCTION, numero 144, 2012
    • Link ebook: www.reproduction-online.org


    DNA methylation dynamics during the mammalian life cycle.

    • Author: Hackett JA, Surani MA.
    • Review: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. , numero , 2013
    • Link ebook: open access on PuBMED


    INTERMEDIATE TEST

    INTERMEDIATE TEST 1

    • Unit: Unit 1 Prof. Barboni
    • Date: 
    • Type of test: Test with multiple responses.


    INTERMEDIATE TEST 3

    • Unit: Unit 2 Prof. Barboni 
    • Date: 
    • Type of test: Test with multiple responses.


    INTERMEDIATE TEST 4

    • Unit: Unit 3 Prof. Barboni
    • Date:  
    • Type of test: Test with multiple responses

    EVALUATION

    The evaluation of the student will take into account the mean scores of the three intermediate tests or, when on low level, through an oral examination of the theoretical and practical contents of the integrate course.

     

  • Highlighted
  • The Lesson and Homeworks to face in group can be downloaded from this section

    The slides and the theoretical information will be made available before each lesson  (Lesson I and Lesson II)

  • This unit will present during two Lessons (1 and 2) an overview of oogenesis, its biological targets and the general mechanisms involved and how these event may be recapitulate during the main Assisted Reproductive Technologies available to date

  • This Unit will focus your attention during two lesson of the structural and biochemical modification that involve the oocyte during the growth phase at cytoplasm and nucleus level.

  • During this last two lessons will be discussed the main processes characterizing the fetal oogenesis and their biological effects