Studying at the University of Verona
Here you can find information on the organisational aspects of the Programme, lecture timetables, learning activities and useful contact details for your time at the University, from enrolment to graduation.
Academic calendar
The academic calendar shows the deadlines and scheduled events that are relevant to students, teaching and technical-administrative staff of the University. Public holidays and University closures are also indicated. The academic year normally begins on 1 October each year and ends on 30 September of the following year.
Course calendar
The Academic Calendar sets out the degree programme lecture and exam timetables, as well as the relevant university closure dates..
| Period | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| I sem. | Oct 2, 2017 | Jan 31, 2018 |
| II sem. | Mar 1, 2018 | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Session | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Sessione invernale d'esame | Feb 1, 2018 | Feb 28, 2018 |
| Sessione estiva d'esame | Jun 18, 2018 | Jul 31, 2018 |
| Sessione autunnale d'esame | Sep 3, 2018 | Sep 28, 2018 |
| Session | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Sessione di laurea estiva | Jul 13, 2018 | Jul 13, 2018 |
| Sessione di laurea autunnale | Oct 22, 2018 | Oct 22, 2018 |
| Sessione di laurea invernale | Mar 15, 2019 | Mar 15, 2019 |
| Period | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas break | Dec 22, 2017 | Jan 7, 2018 |
| Easter break | Mar 30, 2018 | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Patron Saint Day | May 21, 2018 | May 21, 2018 |
| VACANZE ESTIVE | Aug 6, 2018 | Aug 19, 2018 |
Exam calendar
Exam dates and rounds are managed by the relevant Science and Engineering Teaching and Student Services Unit.
To view all the exam sessions available, please use the Exam dashboard on ESSE3.
If you forgot your login details or have problems logging in, please contact the relevant IT HelpDesk, or check the login details recovery web page.
Should you have any doubts or questions, please check the Enrolment FAQs
Academic staff
michael.assfalg@univr.it
+39 045 802 7949
Study Plan
The Study Plan includes all modules, teaching and learning activities that each student will need to undertake during their time at the University. Please select your Study Plan based on your enrolment year.
| Modules | Credits | TAF | SSD |
|---|
| Modules | Credits | TAF | SSD |
|---|
1° Year
| Modules | Credits | TAF | SSD |
|---|
2° Year activated in the A.Y. 2018/2019
| Modules | Credits | TAF | SSD |
|---|
Legend | Type of training activity (TTA)
TAF (Type of Educational Activity) All courses and activities are classified into different types of educational activities, indicated by a letter.
Research inspired laboratory (2017/2018)
Teaching code
4S003669
Credits
6
Language
English
Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)
BIO/10 - BIOCHEMISTRY
The teaching is organized as follows:
d
c
b
a
Learning outcomes
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MM: a
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The credit is designed to provide basic knowledge related to protein engineering, with particular reference to the production and biochemical characterization of recombinant proteins. Objectives • To understand construction and expression of foreign gene in prokaryotic and eukaryotic host cells. • To understand recombinant protein production. • To acquire fundamental elements at molecular level concerning protein structure-function relationships • To acquire the required information (theoretical and experimental) to carry out the process of engineering of a protein function/structure.
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MM: b
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The bioinformatics module will provide an overview of amino acid substitution (AAS) prediction methods using in silico techniques. At the end of the course, the student should able to use state of the art techniques to assess the effect of disease-associated mutants into the structure/function of proteins.
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MM: c
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The DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION PROTEOMICS course aims to enable students to acquire laboratory skills for the preparation of an experiment of differential proteomics. The experiment can involve the comparison of a pathological sample with a control for the identification of potential biomarkers having clinical utility; or the comparison of a drug-treated sample with a control for understanding the molecular mechanism of action of the drug molecule.
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MM: d
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The FUNCTIONAL PROTEOMICS module aims to enable students to acquire laboratory skills related to a targeted proteomics approach. Topics of the module include the design and preparation of biomimetic materials and their applicaiton to the selective capture of the target protein from biological samples.
Program
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MM: a
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Definition of recombinant protein. Introduction to protein engineering. Acquisition of the required information (theoretical and experimental) to carry out the process of engineering of a protein function/structure. Production of recombinant proteins. Experimental approaches to study and modulate the protein functionality. Protein characterization (Site directed mutagenesis, Gel electrophoresis, Tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence, ANS Fluorescence, Limited proteolysis). Examples of application of protein engineering.
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MM: b
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The module will be entirely developed in a computer laboratory. The module is based on the seminal article: Predicting the Effects of Amino Acid Substitutions on Protein Function by Pauline C. Ng and Steven Henikoff and published in: Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. The techniques reviewed in the article will be briefly intorduced to the students. Then the students will put their hands on the problem by using those methods to assess the effects on mutants on human Calmodulin. The methods are: Sequence based methods: - Sift - PolyPhen - Panther - PSEC Structure based methods - Analyse the wild-type structure usgin the Chimera program - Introduce the mutants - Analyse the lost/gain interactions upon mutation - Study of the electrostatic potential on the surface of the protein (wild-type and mutated) Annotation based methods: - iHop - Pfam
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MM: c
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The practical experiences include key issues for a proteomics laboratory, for example, methods for protein quantification before a proteomic analysis, separation of proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis, the detection of the proteomic profile by different staining (colorimetric and/or fluorescent), image acquisition of proteomic profiles, and an introduction to identification of deregulated proteins by mass spectrometry.
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MM: d
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The functional proteomics module focuses on the use of biomimetic approaches for selective recovery of protein classes, for the proteomic analysis. The experimental design is: In silico design of the best epitope target in a defined protein. Preparation of the biomimetic material. Functional characterization of the biomimetic material. Application of the biomimetic material for the selective enrichment of biological samples and analysis 2DE of the enriched fraction. In silico modelling of the protein corona.
Bibliography
| Activity | Author | Title | Publishing house | Year | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | Stefano Pascarella e Alessandro Paiardini | Bioinformatica | Zanichelli | 2011 | 9788808062192 | |
| a | Keith Wilson, John Walker-Edizione italiana a cura di M.S. Pilone e L. Pollegioni | Biochimica e biologia molecolare - Principi e tecniche - Le bioconoscenze e le biotecnologie in laboratorio | Raffaello Cortina Editore | 2006 | ||
| a | Wilson, Walker | Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Cambridge University Press | 2010 |
Examination Methods
The verification of the acquisition of concepts and protocols inherent to the thematics of the research inspired laboratory , will be through a global exam, subdivided into 10 open questions based on the 4 modules (2 questions for bioinformatics; 2 for biochemistry; 3 for proteomics and 3 for functional proteomics) to be replied in 2.5 hours.
All the questions aims at verifying acquisition of the knowledge of the practicals and of the inherent theories discussed over the course.
Type D and Type F activities
Modules not yet included
Career prospects
Module/Programme news
News for students
There you will find information, resources and services useful during your time at the University (Student’s exam record, your study plan on ESSE3, Distance Learning courses, university email account, office forms, administrative procedures, etc.). You can log into MyUnivr with your GIA login details: only in this way will you be able to receive notification of all the notices from your teachers and your secretariat via email and soon also via the Univr app.
Graduation
Deadlines and administrative fulfilments
For deadlines, administrative fulfilments and notices on graduation sessions, please refer to the Graduation Sessions - Science and Engineering service.
Need to activate a thesis internship
For thesis-related internships, it is not always necessary to activate an internship through the Internship Office. For further information, please consult the dedicated document, which can be found in the 'Documents' section of the Internships and work orientation - Science e Engineering service.
Final examination regulations
Students earn the Master’s degree in Molecular and Medical Biotechnology after successfully completing the final examination, for which students are required to write a dissertation in English, to be presented in front of a Graduation Committee. By writing the dissertation, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired. The dissertation shall be an experimental research work on a specific topic, to be carried out in university research laboratories, or in public or private institutes recognised in the biotechnology sector.
The dissertation shall be written by the student under the guidance of a Supervisor. In order to be admitted to the final examination, the student must have acquired all CFU credits in the training activities included in the Study Plan, except those specifically awarded upon completion of the dissertation.
The Graduation Committee shall evaluate each candidate, based on their achievements throughout the entire degree programme, carefully assessing the degree of consistency between educational and professional objectives, as well as their ability for independent intellectual elaboration, critical thinking, communication skills and general cultural maturity, in relation to the objectives of the programme.
40 CFU are awarded upon completion of the Master’s degree dissertation, which can be presented either in English or in Italian. Master’s degree dissertations can be either internal (written at the University or Verona) or in collaboration with an external institution/body.
For each dissertation, a Dissertation Committee shall be established: this will include one Supervisor, one or more co-supervisors (optional), and two examiners. Any professors belonging to a department of the School of Science and Engineering or the School of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Verona may act as Supervisor. Researchers working in external research institutes, research grant holders, post-doctoral fellowship holders and PhD students may act as co-supervisors. The examiners, who must be professors of either the School of Natural Sciences and Engineering or the School of Medicine and Surgery, shall be appointed by the Graduation Committee at least 25 days before the final examination, once the student's eligibility to take the final examination has been verified.
The activities of the Dissertation Committee are not subject to official invitations and will take place by agreement between the persons concerned no later than 15 days before the graduation ceremony, at which time only the awarding of the Master’s degree will take place.
At the end of the examination, the Dissertation Committee will draw up a brief evaluation note giving a summary mark (from 0 to 8 points). This note shall be sent to the relevant Teaching and Student Services Unit, no later than the day before the graduation ceremony, for the subsequent formulation of the final grade by the Graduation Committee, which shall then award the degree.
Evaluation of the dissertation
Students will be given about 30 minutes to present their dissertation. The Dissertation Committee will evaluate the work based on the following criteria:
- level of in-depth analysis in relation to the most recent developments in the Molecular and Medical Biotechnologies areas;
- scientific and/or technological outcomes of the dissertation;
- student’s critical thinking;
- student’s experimental development;
- student’s ability to carry out independent work (this point will not be assessed by the examiners);
- value of the methodologies used;
- accuracy in planning and writing the dissertation;
- communication skills in presenting the dissertation.
Graduation mark
The graduation mark (based on a 110-point scale) is a whole value between 66/110 and 110/110 and is calculated by adding together the following elements (then rounding the result to the nearest whole number, e.g. 93.50 => 94; 86.49 => 86):
- 1) the average of the marks gained in the modules, weighted according to CFU, converted to a 110-point scale;
- 2) evaluation of the dissertation and the oral presentation during the final examination, based on the following methods:
- a) a maximum of 11 points will be awarded for the presentation and the dissertation. These will count as follows: 8 points awarded by the Dissertation Committee, which will evaluate the dissertation and presentation by assigning each of the points 1-8 listed above a coefficient between 0 and 1 (fractional coefficient with one decimal place);
- b) 3 points will be awarded by the Dissertation Committee by unanimous decision, based on the student’s curriculum vitae. Specifically, in order to award the final mark, the Committee will take into account the following: any cum laude honours obtained in the exams taken during the degree programme; participation in internships officially recognised by the University; elective modules; and the achievement of the degree in a time that is shorter than the normal duration of the degree programme. Students who are awarded less than 11 points for their dissertation may be awarded 2 extra points, if: - they have earned at least 12 CFU credits by taking part in international mobility programmes; - they graduate within the normal duration of the degree programme.
- c) the sum of the points resulting from (a) and (b).
If the resulting score is 110/110 or above, the Graduation Committee may decide to award cum laude honours, in which case the student must have:
- a minimum weighted average mark of 104/110 (without rounding up) or
- a minimum weighted average mark of 102/110 (without rounding up) and must have been awarded cum laude honours in at least 3 modules during the degree programme. Under the current legislation, cum laude honours are conferred by unanimous decision of the committee.
External dissertations
An external dissertation is a work carried out in collaboration with an institution/body other than the University of Verona. In this case, the topic of the dissertation must be agreed in advance with a Supervisor from the LM-9 degree programme. In addition, the student must indicate at least one co-supervisor belonging to the external institution/body, who will support the student during the work on the dissertation. The Supervisor and the co-supervisors must be indicated in the online graduation application. The scientific outcomes of the dissertation will be available to all parties involved. In particular, the contents and results of the dissertation are to be considered public.
List of theses and work experience proposals
| theses proposals | Research area |
|---|---|
| Studio delle proprietà di luminescenza di lantanidi in matrici proteiche | Synthetic Chemistry and Materials: Materials synthesis, structure-properties relations, functional and advanced materials, molecular architecture, organic chemistry - Colloid chemistry |
| Stampa 3D di nanocompositi polimerici luminescenti per applicazioni in Nanomedicina | Synthetic Chemistry and Materials: Materials synthesis, structure-properties relations, functional and advanced materials, molecular architecture, organic chemistry - New materials: oxides, alloys, composite, organic-inorganic hybrid, nanoparticles |
| Master thesis | Various topics |
Attendance
As stated in the Teaching Regulations for the A.Y. 2022/2023, attendance is not mandatory. However, professors may require students to attend lectures for a minimum of hours in order to be able to take the module exam, in which case the methods that will be used to check attendance will be explained at the beginning of the module.
Please refer to the Crisis Unit's latest updates for the mode of teaching.
