Ph.D. Program in Clinical and Experimental Immunology (XL Cycle)

The training program includes at least 180 credits (CFU) in three years (not necessarily 60 CFU per year)

TRAINING COURSES:

FIRST YEAR (but also possible in second or third year)

1) Ph.D. Course: Preparation of a research project for a call (8 hours, first year)

The course aims to introduce Ph.D. students on how to search for funding to carry out research activities in the biomedical field, how to write a research project respecting the requirements of the announcement, how to organize experimental work by dividing the activities into Work Packages (WP) and activities, such as drawing up a budget considering each phase of the project. Furthermore, during the course a practical exercise will be carried out aimed at drafting a research project draft (this activity requires the involvement of the tutor). The activity will allow you to acquire skills to interpret a research notice and to draw up a research project.

In collaboration with the Ph.D. Course in Biotechnology

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2) Ph.D. Course: Presentation of the results of your experimental work (8 hours, first year):

The course aims to provide PhD students with information on how to organize and create an effective power-point presentation, on how to choose the data to present and how to describe it, and on some useful techniques for maintaining the audience's attention. During the course, a practical exercise will be carried out aimed at preparing a power-point presentation on your experimental work at the beginning and end of the course (this activity requires the involvement of the tutor). The activity will allow you to acquire skills for preparing a scientific presentation for a conference.

In collaboration with the Ph.D. Course in Biotechnology

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3) Ph.D. Course: How to report your data and how to disseminate and present a study to the scientific community (8 hours, first year): The course aims to provide doctoral students with information on how to prepare an abstract to participate in a conference. Guidance will also be provided on how to organize and write a scientific publication and critically present the results of one's research. During the course, a practical exercise will be carried out aimed at drafting at least one abstract relating to one's experimental data (this activity requires the involvement of the tutor). The activity will allow you to acquire skills for writing a scientific work and its dissemination.

In collaboration with the Ph.D. Course in Biotechnology

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FIRST YEAR and SECOND YEAR (but also possible in third year)

4) Ph.D. Course: Intellectual property and patents (6 hours, first and second year): Courses made available by the «European IP Helpdesk» to support research activities to manage,

disseminate and enhance technologies and other intellectual property rights and other IP resources to European level. The transition from research to technology transfer is the result of collaboration between university research and businesses and has as its main objective that of making technology accessible to people. The activity will allow you to acquire preliminary skills to manage, disseminate and enhance intellectual property and research results. 

Date to be defined

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SECOND YEAR (but also possible in first or third year)

7) Ph.D. Course: Knowledge of the fundamental principles of flow cytometry (8 hours, second year): The course aims to introduce PhD students to the main flow cytometry techniques applied to different aspects of cell biology. In particular, the following topics will be described: 1) Principles of flow cytometry; 2) Elements to design a multicolor flow cytometry panel; 3) Applications of cytometric measurements in immunology. These notions can be useful in various fields, for example for the study of the immunological profile and for the diagnostic and prognostic classification of numerous pathologies and to predict/identify a personalized therapeutic strategy for each patient. The activities will take place in English.

Date to be defined

Prof Daniela Fenoglio

Associate Professor of Technical Sciences of Laboratory Medicine at University of Genova 

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8) Ph.D. Course: Immunotherapeutic approaches (9 hours, second year):

The course includes several appointments in which innovative immunotherapeutic approaches will be described based both on the use of antibodies capable of blocking the signals that inhibit the activity of the cells of the immune system (capable to restore/reawaken the anti-tumor response) and on the transfer of immune system cells from a donor to the patient ("adoptive transfer"). The effectiveness of these types of immunotherapies in the treatment of tumors of the hematopoietic system, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, is well known, but more recently these innovative therapeutic approaches are also being evaluated in the treatment of some solid tumors. The activity will allow you to acquire skills in different immunotherapeutic approaches. The activities will take place in English.

19-02-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Prof. Teresa Manzo

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health
Sciences- University of Torino, Italy
Principal Inves_gator at Molecular Biotechnology Center "Guido Tarone" - Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunometabolism, Torino – Italy
Title: Energizing T cells for immunotherapy
CFU: 0.5

16-04-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Prof. Francesca Nazio

Assistant Professor at Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome – Italy Title: Therapeutic potential of autophagy in immune response and inflammation

CFU: 0.5

21-05-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Prof. Silvia Campello

Associate Professor at Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata. Rome - Italy Title: Mitochondrial dynamics in T cells: of shape, movement, and cell physiology
CFU: 0.5

19-06-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Henner Morbach

Project leader at Department of Pediatric – University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany Title: Molecular program and antigen specificity of dysregulated T/-B cell responses in childhood arthritis
CFU: 0.5

18-07-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Ombretta Melaiu

Principal Investigator -Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata. Rome - Italy
Title: Dissecting the tumor immune microenvironment to improve prognosis and therapy response of cancer patients

CFU: 0.5

18-09-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Valerio Chiurchiù

Head of the Laboratory of Resolution of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Traslational Pharmacology (IFT), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Roma, Italy
Title: Resolution of Inflammation in chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases: a Novel dogma

CFU: 0.5 

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7) Ph.D. Course: Innovative technologies in biomedicine (8 hours, second year): In the last years, the progress of biomedical and diagnostic technologies has brought great benefits in all sectors aimed at protecting and improving public health. Therefore, the influence of these technologies on the development of medicine and our society is of great relevance. The course includes several appointments with the aim of providing PhD students with theoretical and practical information on the most innovative and advanced techniques used in the field of biomedical applications. Topics relating to research, industrial development and the evaluation of the clinical implications of the diffusion of biomedical technologies in clinical practice will be explored in depth. This information can then be used to identify which are the most useful and innovative methods for your biomedical research activity. The activity will allow you to acquire skills in the most innovative biomedical technologies. The activities will take place in English.

November 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Alessio Cardinale

Qualified Person of a GMP Facility – Holostem, Modena – Italy
Title: From development to markeDng authorisaDon: a journey through the ATMP ecosystem

CFU: 0.5

Date to be defined

Dr. Eliana Ruggiero

Project Leader at San Raffaele Scientific Institute - Experimental Hematology Unit, Milan – Italy Title: The world beyond CAR-T cells: engineering T lymphocytes with newly identified anti-tumor TCRs
CFU: 0.5

23-03-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Maria Vinci

Project Leader Department of Pediatric hematology and Oncology – Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy
Title: Methods and Approaches to study the pediatric high-grade glioma complex biology
CFU: 0.5

15-10-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Loredana Ruggeri

Principal Inves_gator -Department of Medicine and Surgery, Division of Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Title: Allogeneic T cell depleted HematopoieDc Stem Cell TransplantaDon as plaNorm for donor CAR NK and T cell immunotherapy

CFU: 0.5

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8) PhD Course: Soft Skills (4 hours, first year): In recent years Unige has organized soft skills courses (e.g. European research and fundraising for research, Paper Writing, Effective habits and skills for young successful scientists, Data Protection in International and EU Law, Publish or Perish? Introduction to academic publishing, Open Science and Research Data Management), shared between the different doctoral courses. The teaching activity includes various appointments with the aim of providing PhD students with skills that help them to adopt positive attitudes to effectively face the challenges posed by professional life and to strengthen their relational and behavioral skills. The activities will take place in English.

Soft skills courses offered by Unige for all Doctoral Courses will be defined.

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ADDITIONAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Seminars: Ph.D. students will be invited to participate in a series of seminars promoted and/or organized by the PhD Course, which will focus on topics relating to both basic Immunology and clinically applied Immunology. At the end of the seminars organized by the PhD Course there will be space for discussion with the PhD students. The objective is to increase the level and breadth of the skills and knowledge of PhD students and to encourage them to compare, learn, question themselves and implement collaborations with research groups with different skills. These settings will benefit the productivity of the PhD student's research activity. The seminars will be held in English.

Seminars organized by the PhD Course (CFU: 0.5):

25-09-2024 at 3:00 p.m.

Prof. Antonella Sistigu

Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit – Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome – Italy
Title: Epigenetics behind tumor immunology: IFN-I - KDM1B axis at the forefront of tumor progression and immune evasion.

CFU: 0.5

29-01-2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Prof. Paola Paci

Associate Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Rome – Italy Title: Network Medicine: a revolution in medicine
CFU: 0.5

Additional followed seminars (CFU: 0.2)

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Laboratory activities: Ph.D. students will carry out their research activity under the continuous and direct supervision of the Ph.D. Teaching Board members. The activity will be carried out in the research laboratories where the various members of the Ph.D. Teaching Board operate. These laboratories are perfectly equipped to carry out cellular, molecular, genomic, and proteomic research. Ph.D. students will have access to a reserved space with laboratory and IT equipment where they can carry out research, data processing and updating activities. Meetings are scheduled with the respective tutors aimed at comparing the data obtained and optimizing the Ph.D. student's project path.

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Language improvement: Ph.D. students have free access to specific English language courses organized by the University. They will be able to improve their knowledge of the English language by participating in 3 specific scientific communication courses (Preparation of a research project for a call; Presentation of the results of your experimental work; How to report your data and how to disseminate and present a study to the scientific community) and courses/seminars held by foreign researchers, taking exams, and writing/discussing the final thesis in English.

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IT improvement: The Ph.D. Teaching Board members introduce the Ph.D. Students to the use of software dedicated to the management of instrumentation, the statistical analysis of experimental data, the analysis of scientific images and graphs, and the preparation of informative presentations. Furthermore, Ph.D. students have access to the use of specific databases for bibliographic research and the analysis of bibliometric indices.

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Research management and knowledge of European and international research systems: The Ph.D. Board members offer PhD students teaching activities relating to the design and management of national/international research projects based on their own experience. Furthermore, they interact with Ph.D. students to analyze the scientific problems to be addressed, optimize the experimental protocol, and choose the best instrumental techniques to use to obtain scientifically reproducible and reliable results.

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Enhancement and dissemination of results, intellectual property and free access to research data and products: The Ph.D. Board members support and promote the development of knowledge relating to the obtaining, defense, and maintenance of intellectual property, also through organization of specific courses. Ph.D. students have free access to specific seminars organized by the University, by other doctoral courses, by research institutions or other bodies, also made available by the «European IP Helpdesk». Ph.D. students are encouraged to disseminate data relating to their research activity, through participation in national and international conferences as a speaker or in dedicated events such as Ph.D. retreats promoted by scientific societies with an immunological interest.

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Fundamental principles of ethics, gender equality and integrity: Ph.D. students have access to interventions held by experts on immunological topics and aimed at underlining: 1) the importance of respecting the 3Rs in animal testing; 2) the importance of respecting the rules of use and conservation of biological material of human origin; 3) the importance of analyzing scientific data stratified by "gender".

24-10-2024 at 3:00 pm

Dr. Graziana Palmieri

Head of the Animal Wealfare Office – Plaisant Castel Romano, Rome – Italy Title: Preclinical studies: our experience in cancer
CFU: 0.5

16/09/2024 - 2.00pm/6.00pm – LESSON - Room 1 Polo Alberti (Via L.B. Alberti, 4 – Genoa)

Prof. Rosagemma Ciliberti, Dr. Alessio Bonardi, Lawyer Paolo Gianatti and Dr. Paolo Petralia

Title: Ethics Committees, Ethical Space and Informed Consent 

In collaboration with the Phd Course in Biotechnology

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Learning assessments: carried out at the end of the training activities and/or during the transition exams when the doctoral students will put into practice what they have learned: 1) preparing a power point presentation that they will use to describe the research project: status of art, experimental design and results obtained, 2) demonstration of the technical skills acquired, 3) discussion of the results obtained with the members of the PhD Teaching Board.