Teaching code

4S011739

Academic staff

Chiara Nardon, Giancarlo Gorgoni

Coordinator

Chiara Nardon

Credits

9

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

CHIM/03 - GENERAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Period

FARMACIA 2° semestre dal Jan 2, 2025 al May 30, 2025.

Courses Single

Not Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The first objective of the course is to provide basic knowledge on the chemistry of "hot" inorganic elements, coordination chemistry and its applications under physiological conditions. The student will be able to understand the properties - in terms of reactivity and radioactive decay processes - of a large number of radiopharmaceuticals clinically used in diagnostics, therapy or theranostics. The student will apply this knowledge at the molecular level in the study of new radiopharmaceuticals within a defined pathophysiological context.
At the end of the course the student will also be able to act in a multidisciplinary working context in close collaboration with the nuclear doctor, the health physicist, and other professional figures, starting from the selection of the therapy to the choice of the patient's path.
The course also aims to provide the student with an adequate level of culture to ensure that the preparation and dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals is performed according to procedures that ensure their safety and efficacy as medicines.

Program

The course will provide basic knowledge on the chemistry of “hot” elements, coordination chemistry and its applications in physiological conditions (i.e., metal center-biomolecule interaction), notions of nuclear medicine (diagnosis, therapy or their combined use) including clinical and regulatory aspects as well as notions of radiopharmacy in its many distinctive elements (e.g. Quality assurance and control, production of radionuclides). The course will be divided into two logistic units. In the first module (6 credits) the following topics will be covered: • Elements of nuclear chemistry (definition of radionuclide; mechanisms that regulate the main nuclear reactions; definition of nucleon and nuclear forces; atomic number, mass number and isotopes; isotopic abundance. Nuclear binding energy; Einstein's relativistic relation; average binding energy per nucleon and nuclear stability. Radioisotopes and discovery of radioactivity; stability band of the isotopes of natural elements. Types of radioactive decays: decay by electron capture; beta+ decay; beta- decay; decay with emission of gamma rays; decay with emission of alpha particles. radiation/matter interaction; ability of alpha, beta and gamma rays to penetrate different materials); • Description of the properties (stability and radioactive decay pathways) and applications of a wide range of radioisotopes (eg, 131I, 64Cu, 18F, 99mTc, 68Ga, 177Lu, 89Zr, 111In); • clinical use of radionuclides (therapy, diagnostics, theranostics) in the corresponding biochemical-physiopathological context (eg, Warburg effect, endocrinological disorders); • Elements of coordination chemistry (definition of complex, mono- and polydentate ligands, macrocyclic ligands, coordination sphere, coordination geometry and number, isomerism and chirality, synthesis and stability, coordination equilibria and species distribution diagram; Ligand field theory (crystal field theory and hint at molecular orbital theory); stabilization energy of the ligand field (octahedral delta and tetrahedral delta); high and low spin complexes; spectrochemical series of ligands). • Inorganic drugs in clinical use or in clinical trial studies; • Reactivity of coordination compounds in vivo (modulation of toxicity in favor of pharmacological benefits); • bioorthogonal chemistry/click chemistry; The 2nd logistic unit (3 credits) will focus on the following topics: • clinical application of radiochemistry (e.g., radiation protection, elements of dosimetry and the basis for understanding the effects of radiation on biological material); • Notions of nuclear medicine (PET/SPECT, therapy) and clinical and regulatory aspects; • Structure of a radiopharmacy and automation (synthesis modules, dispensers); • production of radionuclides (accelerators, cyclotron, nuclear reactors, isotope generators); • Quality Assurance in radiopharmacy (GMP); • Quality Control in radiopharmacy (analytical techniques for quality control; microbiological aspects of radiopharmaceutical preparations); • Radioactive labelling; • Examples of radiopharmaceuticals in the pharmacopoeia (eg, 99mTc, 18F, 111In, 68Ga, 67Cu, alpha-emitter therapy, 124/131I, 89Zr); • Clinical trials with radiopharmaceuticals.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course includes 72 hours of classroom teaching. The teaching material, in addition to the recommended textbooks, will be made available on the Moodle platform.

Learning assessment procedures

The exam will be oral. There are no midterm exams during the semester.

Evaluation criteria

Overall, the set of knowledge acquired will be assessed as well as the resulting ability for critical reasoning and understanding/use of specialized vocabulary. The final grade will be expressed in thirtieths.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Weighted average between the two modules.

Exam language

Italiano