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.

Study Plan

This information is intended exclusively for students already enrolled in this course.
If you are a new student interested in enrolling, you can find information about the course of study on the course page:

Laurea magistrale in Molecular and Medical Biotechnology - Enrollment from 2025/2026

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 enrollment year.

activated in the A.Y. 2023/2024
ModulesCreditsTAFSSD
Modules Credits TAF SSD
Between the years: 1°- 2°
2 courses among the following ("BIOTECHNOLOGY IN NEUROSCIENCE" 1ST YEAR; "CLINICAL PROTEOMICS" 1ST and2ND YEAR; the other courses 2nd year only)

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.




S Placements in companies, public or private institutions and professional associations

Teaching code

4S003658

Credits

6

Language

English en

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

BIO/10 - BIOCHEMISTRY

Period

Semester 2 dal Mar 6, 2023 al Jun 16, 2023.

Learning objectives

This course gives an introduction to molecular computational biology and to the rational design of proteins using computational techniques. The arguments of the course include: molecular dynamis simulation techniques and advanced protein bioinformatics concepts. At the end of the course the student should be able to: - Deep and critical understanding of a scientific article where computational techniques are used - Introduce (in silico) mutants able to affect the protein structure and/or function - Prepare and run molecular dynamis simulations.

Prerequisites and basic notions

There are no prerequisites

Program

Part A – Bioinformatics

− Advanced Structural Bioinformatics
- Thermodynamic basis of the stability of folded biomolecular structure
− Molecular basis of human perception


Part B – Molecular Modeling

− Basic elements of molecular modeling
− Electrostatic modeling
− Energy minimization based on force fields
− Molecular dynamics: solution by using the open source NAMD and/or Gromacs codes
− Conformational analysis


Part C – Ligand-prtoein interactions


− Protein assembly (protein-protein complexes, protein-protein interactions in protein dimers, crystals): protein-protein docking algorithms and programs
− Ligand Protein interaction: docking algorithms and programs
− Projects: Drug and/or protein design

Bibliography

Visualizza la bibliografia con Leganto, strumento che il Sistema Bibliotecario mette a disposizione per recuperare i testi in programma d'esame in modo semplice e innovativo.

Didactic methods

During the course different teaching techniques are used:
- Classical theoretical lessons
- Practical exercises on the PC (use of state-of-the-art programs for running molecular dynamics simulations, docking, and drug design)
- Literature analysis

Learning assessment procedures

Written.
The examination is divide in two parts: the first consists in the presentation (in groups) of a scientific article in which state of the arte techniques are used.
The second part is a written examination with open questions regarding the arguments of the course.

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD), who intend to request the adaptation of the exam, must follow the instructions given HERE

Evaluation criteria

The student must: -be able to master the specific language of modern computational biology. -be able to critically understand a scientific article in the field of computational biology -Know the theoretical basis of molecular dynamics and virtual docking

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade consists of: - Grade of the presentations to groups of high-impact scientific articles - Grade of the written exam during the exam session

Exam language

Inglese