Innovations in Biotechnology applied to regenerative medicine

Innovations in Biotechnology Applied to Regenerative Medicine is a graduate degree programme in Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Medical Biotechnology (LM9), an interfaculty between the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

The programme, entirely taught in English, is based at the Eugenia Menni Research Centre of Fondazione Poliambulanza (Brescia) where lectures will be delivered and biomedical workshop activities will be carried out. At the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of the Università Cattolica of Brescia, the activities of the advanced materials physics workshops will be carried out.

This wide-ranging international programme aims to develop an in-depth understanding of advanced biotechnology in the fields of cell and molecular biology, omics and nanotechnology, with a particular focus on the application of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The training offered is multidisciplinary and combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills, ensuring a high level of scientific and technological updating. The main objective is to prepare professionals in the field of medical biotechnology able to integrate skills from different sectors ranging from basic research to technology transfer and the regulatory world, in order to develop original ideas in research and development contexts to contribute to their clinical translation.

Graduates of Innovations in Biotechnology Applied to Regenerative Medicine will have specialist skills in advanced medical biotechnology from both a practical and theoretical point of view which include:

• Mastery of stem cell biology, from basic knowledge to characterisation by OMICS sciences to the principles underlying their therapeutic use in the field of regenerative medicine; at the same time practical skills will be acquired regarding the procedures of isolation, cell expansion and use of specific instrumentation;
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of the pathological processes related to tissue degeneration with reference to the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved;
  
• Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying tissue regeneration, with particular attention to emerging technologies in this area;
  
• Cross-disciplinary knowledge of innovative strategies in tissue engineering, starting from tissue biomechanics, up to the use of biomaterials, 3D printing and nanotechnologies;
  
• Knowledge of the ethical aspects of basic and preclinical stem cell research and principles of clinical ethics;
  
• Skills related to the main methodologies of biostatistics and bioinformatics to formally describe biological phenomena and provide models for the correct analysis, interpretation, cataloguing and dissemination of scientific information;
  
• Knowledge of regulatory aspects related to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (including manufacturing processes, marketing, costs, sustainability approvals);
  
• Knowledge of basic and advanced instrumental analytical techniques and laboratory practice;
  
• Knowledge of patent law, technology transfer and economic aspects applicable to emerging technologies related to medical biotechnology , in particular in the field of regenerative medicine.