ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΠΑΤΡΩΝ, ΤΜΗΜΑ ΧΗΜΕΙΑΣ – Ι.Β.Ε., Ε.Κ.Ε.Φ.Ε. «ΔΗΜΟΚΡΙΤΟΣ»
                                    Δ.Π.Μ.Σ. ΕΦΑΡΜΟΣΜΕΝΗ ΒΙΟΧΗΜΕΙΑ: ΚΛΙΝΙΚΗ ΧΗΜΕΙΑ, ΒΙΟΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΑ, ΑΞΙΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ ΦΑΡΜΑΚΕΥΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΡΟΪΟΝΤΩΝ

                                             UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY – I.B.A., N.C.S.R. “DEMOKRITOS”
                              MSc PROGRAMME APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY: CLINICAL CHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY, EVALUATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS

                                                                      ΕΑΡΙΝΑ ΣΕΜΙΝΑΡΙΑ 2024
                              Την Τρίτη, 14-05-2024, στις 12:00, στην Αίθουσα Σεμιναρίων του Τμήματος Χημείας (Βόρειο κτίριο, Ισόγειο)
                 θα πραγματοποιηθούν δύο διαλέξεις του Αναπληρωτή Καθηγητή Κυτταρικής & Μοριακής Βιολογίας του University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
                                                                       Dr. Diego Cotella


                                                                       SPRING SEMINARS 2024
                        On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 12:00, in the Seminar Room of the Department of Chemistry (Northern Building, Ground floor)
                there will be two lectures by the Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology of the University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
                                                                       Dr. Diego Cotella




                                               SPEAKER: Ass. Prof. DIEGO COTELLA, University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy
                                                          GENERAL TITLE: NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

                                                                            ABSTRACTS

                                                        TOPIC ONE: Long non-coding RNAs as therapeutics
RNA molecules have emerged as a new class of promising therapeutics to expand the range of druggable targets in the genome. In addition to 'canonical' protein-coding mRNAs, the emerging richness of sense and antisense long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) provides a new reservoir of molecular tools for RNA-based drugs. As the first representative molecules of this new pharmacology, we have identified SINEUPs, a new functional class of natural antisense (NAT) lncRNAs that increase the translation of partially overlapping mRNAs. By genetic engineering, synthetic SINEUPs can potentially target any mRNA of interest increasing translation and therefore the endogenous level of the encoded protein. In this lecture, I will describe the state-of-the-art knowledge of SINEUPs and discuss recent publications showing their potential application in diseases where a physiological increase of endogenous protein expression can be therapeutic.

                                                       TOPIC TWO: Engineering bacteriophages for therapy
In recent years, bacteriophage research has been stimulated by growing interest in using phage therapy to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Furthermore, there is a desire to use phages and their unique proteins for specific biocontrol and diagnostic applications. However, the ability to manipulate phage genomes to understand and control gene functions, or alter phage properties such as host range, has remained challenging due to the lack of selectable universal markers. In this lecture I will discuss some innovative approaches to engineer and select phage genomes using novel cell-free, synthetic biology, and CRISPR-Cas techniques.