90824 - Industrial Processes for Recombinant Drugs

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student has the basic knowledge of industrial processes that employ microorganisms for the production of metabolites of pharmaceutical interest. In particular, the student is able to: - develop production processes for recombinant proteins, primary and secondary microbial metabolites; - develop screening programs for the identification of new microbial metabolites of pharmaceutical interest; - develop strategies to improve production processes.

Course contents

Advanced industrial approaches for cloning, expression and production of heterologous pharmaceutical proteins in different host systems (cell factories): hormones; fibrinolytic agents, coagulants and anticoagulants; biologics, i.e. chimeric and humanized monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, cytokines, recombinant toxins; vaccines. Protein engineering to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of the recombinant proteins.Industrial production of microbial primary and secondary metabolites: amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, antibiotics and antitumoral agents. Advanced screening to discover new antibiotics.

The laboratory course will address the following experiences: expression and production of recombinant proteins in microbial hosts (batch fermentations); exploitation of microbiomes in industrial microbiology (metagenomics and bioinformatics approaches for next-generation industrial processes);shotgun sequencing for the functional characterization of microbial communities.

Readings/Bibliography

Papers and reviews suggested by the teacher

Laboratory notes describing the experimental procedures.

Teaching methods

Development and employment of recombinant host cells in pharmaceutical field.

Assessment methods

Students will be tested with an oral exam. The latter will verify the knowledge about recombinant cells used for the industrial production of drugs.

Teaching tools

PC, projector

Office hours

See the website of Patrizia Brigidi