2020/2021

2022/2023

DM270

DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE

MEDICINE AND SURGERY (IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE) (ENGLISH LANGUAGE)

PERCORSO COMUNE

3°

1st semester (03/10/2022 - 13/01/2023)

4

Basic knowledge of genetics.

Evolutionary medicine, sometimes referred to as Darwinian medicine, combines the disciplines of evolutionary biology and anthropology with medicine to create new paradigms for investigating and understanding disease. In evolutionary medicine, principles and theories, such as phylogeny, genetic drift, natural selection, heritability, and fitness, among others, are utilized to advance the understanding of human health, development, and disease. Medicine is based on biology, and biology is based on evolution. The enterprise here is to understand how to use the basic science of evolutionary and population genetics in the services of medicine and public health.

The course aims to broaden the knowledge of genetics by acquiring knowledge of the Genetic Principles of Evolutionary Medicine. Evolutionary medicine, sometimes referred to as Darwinian medicine, combines the disciplines of evolutionary biology and anthropology with medicine to create new paradigms for investigating and understanding disease. In evolutionary medicine, principles and theories, such as phylogeny, genetic drift, natural selection, heritability, and fitness, among others, are utilized to advance the understanding of human health, development, and disease. Medicine is based on biology, and biology is based on evolution. The enterprise here is to understand how to use the basic science of evolutionary and population genetics in the services of medicine and public health. Evolution, selection and modern humans: examples of recent human adaptation. Evolution of species and evolution of cancer. Darwinian selection and its interpretation: eugenics in the early years of ‘900 and manipulated genetics in Russia: the Lysenko case. Adaptation, selection and pesticide or antibiotic resistance.The course will include also a practical training where the students will be involved in a molecular and phylogenetic screening of their DNA.
Sequencing of the human genome and variability of the genome. Concepts of Darwinian fitness and evolution of the genome. What makes us different? Main categories of genomic variability (structural rearrangements, copy number variants, single nucleotide variants, small insertions/deletions, mini- and microsatellite variants) and mechanisms sustaining genomic variability. Assessment of variant pathogenicity in relation to phenotypes. Founder effect and founder mutations, genetic isolates, linkage and linkage disequilibrium, haplotype blocks, concepts of evolution genetics based on haplotype structure. Evolution of copy number variants and variability of repeats.

Frontal lessons and Lab training.

Presentation slides that will be distributed along with papers and documentation that will be used during the course.

Participation and success in the practical training and a short report (min 200 words - max 1000 words).
The bibliography of each report should include at least three papers reported in PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.
Oral presentation.

The course has a dedicated web site on the e-learning portal of the University of Pavia https://elearning.unipv.it/, which students can access using their login credentials.
For further information:
alessandro.achilli@unipv.it
enzamaria.valente@unipv.it

Some of the topics in this course fit with the Goal 3 (Good health & well-being) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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