Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical

The new Degree Course in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications is a three-year degree program of the L-29 Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies class entirely taught in English.

The objective of the Degree Course is to train qualified figures with a background in biomolecular, pharmaceutical, and advanced technological scientific research that synergistically integrates i) a solid set of theoretical skills in basic cultural disciplines, ii) extensive skills in the biomolecular, medicinal chemistry, technological-applicative, and IT fields, and iii) critical scientific assessment competences and information and communication skills.

The amalgamation and intertwining of these skills is aimed at training graduates capable of successfully facing at national and international level the challenges posed by the growing needs of the universe of biologically active compounds (drugs, food supplements, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals) including the contemporary challenge of comprehending how molecular biology, medicinal chemistry and information technologies are already transforming and will continue to transform the drug discovery and development process in the future.

Graduates in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications will have a solid multi- and transdisciplinary basic cultural background and a strong foundation in the three reference areas (molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, and information technologies) that in this educational process blend in a balanced, harmonious, and synergistic way.

This training will enable graduates to understand and keep pace with the continuous progress of technology and with the profound transformation of the biomolecular/pharmaceutical research areas that we are witnessing in recent years.

Graduates in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications will be able to access next-to-first graduate levels in the biological, chemical, medicinal, pharmaceutical, and applied computer science disciplines.

Alternatively, the solid scientific and technical preparation acquired in the three years of studies will allow them to quickly enter the labor market (industries and research institutions), in the sector of medicinal chemistry, (bio)pharmaceutical and biological disciplines, even in the most innovative aspects related to the extensive use of information technologies.

As an added value, the Degree Course has a strong international vocation; for this purpose, it is delivered entirely in English, it also makes use of international lecturers and strongly promotes the international mobility of both students and lecturers. It aims to attract international students and to become a European reference point in the highly innovative training field of biomolecular/pharmaceutical and technology-information technology. This Degree Course is the only one in Europe to present a solid interdisciplinary framework based on the three pillars of molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, and information technology. There is a similar one only in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), (Computer Science and Molecular Biology), but which is limited to integrating molecular biology with computer science without introducing medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry.

Access to the Degree Course requires the possession of a high school diploma or other qualification obtained abroad, recognized as suitable. Basic knowledge of Physics, Mathematics, Biology, and Chemistry which is normally provided by the cycle of studies of first and second grade secondary schools, is important to successfully complete the Degree Course. Logical and comprehension skills of written texts and speech are also required, as well as mastery of expression through writing. The student must have adequate knowledge of the English language (level B2).

The study plan is divided into 3 years: in the first-year, basic preparation is provided in chemical, biological, mathematical, statistical, physical, and IT disciplines. The first year is completed by two courses selected by the student that are aligned with the educational path. In the second year, expertise in the biomedical and biomolecular disciplines as well as further knowledge in chemical and computer disciplines are provided. In the third year, computer-based training is completed, both in ​​computational biology and machine learning, and courses in the disciplines of clinical biochemistry, pathology and immunology, medicinal chemistry, and pharmaceutical technology are offered. The third year is completed by a mandatory internship, an eligibility test certifying the achievement of Advanced English Skills, and the final graduation exam.

First-year

First semester

• Introduction to programming and laboratory
• Mathematics
• Principles of general and inorganic chemistry

Second semester

• Organic chemistry
• Statistics
• Physics
• Elective course

Second year

First semester

• Chemistry of food and natural compounds
• General Biochemistry
• Molecular biology and applied molecular biology laboratory
• Fundamentals of Chemical Biology
• Design and analysis of algorithms

Second semester

• Human Genetics
• Principle of medicinal chemistry
• Chemistry of food and natural compounds
• Biochemistry and clinical biochemistry
• Molecular biology and applied molecular biology laboratory

Third year

First semester

• Internship activities
• Pathology immunology and molecular biology techniques
• Medicinal chemistry

Second semester

• Bio-active compound delivery and targeting
• Final exam
• Machine learning and computational biology

Learning outcomes

The Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree Programme in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications aims to train people capable of successfully addressing the challenges posed by the growing national and international needs of the world of biologically active compounds (drugs), including the modern challenge of understanding how molecular biology and information technologies are and will change this world in the future. Graduates in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications will have a solid cultural background and strong foundation in the three core areas of Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Information Technology. This interdisciplinary preparation will allow future graduates to understand and keep pace with the progress of technologies and with the profound transformation of this area. They will also be equipped with a solid scientific-technical preparation for a rapid entry into the field of medicinal chemistry and biological disciplines, even in the most innovative aspects related to the use of information technologies. In addition, they will be able to access post-first university degrees in the biological, chemical, pharmaceutical, and applied computer science disciplines.

The basic cultural preparation will allow graduates in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications to have:

• Familiarity with the scientific method of investigation;
• Ability to understand and use basic IT, mathematical, and statistical tools;
• Methodological knowledge and basic skills in a broad spectrum of sectors of the medicinal chemistry, biological, and technological disciplines together with the disciplines of information technology, data analysis, and machine learning (artificial intelligence);
• Familiarity with the English language, including the technical language, was chosen as the European language of internationalization.

Thanks to these solid theoretical, methodological, and technological foundations, graduates in Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications will be able to:

• Understand the technological evolution and adapt to the progress of pharmaceutical disciplines, as in the aspects related to molecular biology and computer science;
• Integrate quickly and effectively into a working reality, working both in a group and independently;
• Communicate and argue their ideas about the problems faced and the solutions proposed, both to specialist and non-specialist interlocutors, both national and international;
• Access the next level of studies.

The graduates in Molecular Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, and Computer Science for Pharmaceutical Applications will be able to carry out professional activities both in manufacturing companies and in user companies belonging to the biological and pharmaceutical world, operating both in the public and private sectors, have an interest in graduates in the pharmaceutical area who can understand the interdisciplinary transformations that the area has just started to observe and will likely face in the next future.

The training course is divided as follows:

• In the first year, basic preparation is provided in chemical, biological, mathematical, statistical, physical, and computer disciplines; the first year is completed by three courses chosen by the student, coherent with the educational path;
• In the second year the knowledge of the biomedical and biomolecular disciplines is provided, as well as further knowledge in chemical and computer disciplines;
• In the third year computer training is completed, both in the area of ​​computational biology and machine learning, and courses are offered in the disciplines of clinical biochemistry, pathology and immunology, medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry, and technology. The third year is completed by a compulsory internship, an eligibility test certifying the achievement of Advanced English Skills, and the final graduation exam.

The internship is carried out under the guidance of an internal or external manager and in the latter case it can be carried out in companies or external bodies. In both cases, the internship requires the student to be offered a real-world problem, which he will have to solve through the elaboration of a project developed with a professional approach.

Laboratory and/or planning activities or exercises can be carried out for all courses. As far as laboratory activities are concerned, they are essentially aimed at the development of simple programs in the first-year courses, while they become real sectoral and interdisciplinary design laboratories in the second and, even more, third-year courses.

The Didactic Regulations of the Degree Programme define, in compliance with the legal limits, the share of the total hourly commitment available to the student for personal study or other individual training activities.

Expert in biomolecular disciplines integrated with computer science

The professional opportunities envisaged are in the biochemical/biomolecular/biomedical industrial sectors in the public and private sectors.
The pervasiveness of information technology and the thrust of technological innovation in the biomolecular industrial context in the context of drug discovery processes are such that now the industrial and sector realities, to remain on the market, cannot fail to resort to IT tools for the development of their activities, nor can they do without interfacing with other entities that use them. The three-year degree provides theoretical-methodological knowledge which, combined with the basic applicative ones, allows graduates to quickly learn the technologies necessary to be able to operate profitably in work areas that use information technology in an innovative sense, such as:

• IT organizations or industries operating in the fields of software and hardware production for bioinformatics or medical-clinical applications,
• biomolecular/biomedical research institutions - public and private - and health services. Graduates will be able to collaborate with biologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, computational chemists, model makers, geneticists, pathologists, immunologists, and clinicians, but also with chemists, medicinal chemists, and pharmaceutical technologists.

Observing the Italian and international reality, the skills deriving from this three-year degree allow us to consider possible employment opportunities also in hospitals, in the bioinformatics field, in support of scientific activities, and IT companies operating in the medical sector.

Expert in medicinal chemistry disciplines integrated with computer science

The professional opportunities foreseen are in the chemical, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical, and technological application sectors in the public and private sectors.
The pervasiveness of information technology and the thrust of technological innovation in the medicinal chemistry industrial context in the field of drug discovery processes are such that now the industrial and sector realities, to remain on the market, cannot fail to resort to IT tools to the development of their activities, nor can they do without interfacing with other entities that use them. The three-year degree provides theoretical-methodological knowledge which, combined with the basic applicative ones, allows graduates to quickly learn the technologies necessary to be able to operate profitably in work areas that use information technology in an innovative sense, such as:

• IT organizations or industries operating in the fields of software and hardware production for medicinal, pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications,
• medicinal chemistry, and technological-application research bodies, public and private, operating in the sector of identifying new biologically active compounds. Graduates will be able to collaborate with chemists, biophysicists, medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical technologists, computational chemists, and model makers, but also with molecular, biochemical, and clinical biologists.

Observing the Italian and international reality, the skills deriving from this three-year degree allow us to consider possible employment opportunities also in hospital centers, in the pharmaceutical sector, in support of scientific activities, and IT companies operating in the pharmaceutical sector.