66305 - Clinical and Forensic Chemistry

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student can recognize the analytical methodologies used in the clinical and forensic field. The student can choose and apply the most suitable analytical technique, as well as evaluate and check the analytical performance. The student also knows the legal and legal aspects in the chemical reports and the regulations and protocols related to the certifications signed by the chemist and having legal value.

Course contents

The course is divided into two modules:

• Module 1: 3 CFU of lectures held in the classroom.
• Module 2: 1 CFU of practical laboratory activities.

Module 1 – Theoretical Lectures (3 CFU)
Topics include:

• Biological Matrices and Sample Preparation: Types of biological samples used in clinical and forensic analysis; preservation and processing techniques; reference values and quality control.
• Immunological Methods: Use of antibodies in allergy testing, infection diagnostics, and quantitative analysis; agglutination tests (e.g., blood typing, Coombs test); immunodiffusion and immunometric techniques; portable testing devices.
• Flow Cytometry: Instrumentation and applications in clinical and forensic fields.
• Genetic Analysis Techniques: Hybridization reactions, real-time PCR, fingerprinting and sequencing, microarray technologies.
• Drugs of Abuse Analysis: Biological matrices, analytical techniques, blood alcohol testing, biomarkers, and hair analysis.
• Mass Spectrometry Techniques for clinical and forensic applications.
• Fingerprint Analysis

Module 2 – Laboratory (1 CFU)
Laboratory experiments include:

• Fire Accelerant Determination: Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analysis using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or flame ionization detection (GC-FID).
• Lipstick Trace Determination: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with multi-wavelength UV-Vis detection.
• Immunoenzymatic Determination of Progesterone in Serum: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit.

Readings/Bibliography

-L. Spandrio “Principi e Tecniche di Chimica Clinica”, Piccin - A.J. Ninfa, D.P. Ballou “Metodologie di Base per la Biochimica
e la Biotecnologia”, Zanichelli (consultazione) - Clinical Chemistry, Principles, Techniques, and Correlations

M. L. Bishop, E. P. Fody, L. E. Schoeff, LWW Ed.

- http://www.fbi.gov/

http://www.aafs.org/ (American Academy of Forensic Sciences )

pdf paper

 

The textbooks are intended for further reading and clarification of topics; however, a thorough understanding of the lecture slides remains essential.

Teaching methods

Module 1:

• 24 hours of in-person lectures.
• Lectures may be recorded via Panopto and made available on Virtuale.
• Online teaching is only permitted in case of emergency and subject to approval by the University or Department.
• All teaching materials, including lecture slides and scientific articles, are uploaded to Virtuale before the course begins and communicated via the “Avvisi” tool.

Module 2:

• 12 hours of laboratory work.
• Attendance at introductory lectures on laboratory protocols and data processing is mandatory.
• Teaching materials, including electronic slides, lab manuals, and Excel spreadsheets, are made available on Virtuale before each lab session and announced via “Avvisi”.

Assessment methods

To take the final exam, students must:

• Have attended Module 1 lectures preferably in person or, alternatively, watched the recorded sessions.
• Have obtained a signed attendance record for Module 2 laboratory activities.

Module 1:

• Oral exam covering all topics in the syllabus, assessing knowledge and comprehension.

Module 2:

• Submission of lab reports after completion of laboratory sessions; reports will be evaluated as part of the final grade.

Grading (out of 30):

• 18–23: Barely sufficient to sufficient understanding, some serious errors.
• 24–26: Fair to good understanding, some minor errors.
• 27–29: Good to very good understanding, minor flaws in content or presentation.
• 30–30L: Excellent knowledge and presentation, minimal to no errors. “Lode” (honours) is awarded for outstanding performance.

Students may be asked to provide a self-assessment, which could lead to a discussion with the committee in case of discrepancy between the proposed grade and the self-evaluation.

 

Teaching tools

• Module 1 & 2: PC with projector, PowerPoint presentations, scientific articles, Virtuale platform, Panopto for recording, and Microsoft Teams for any authorized online teaching.
• Module 2: Lab manuals in Word format and Excel spreadsheets provided on Virtuale.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Students with learning disabilities (DSA) or temporary/permanent disabilities are encouraged to contact the University’s support office in advance: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it . Any proposed accommodations must be submitted at least 15 days before the exam for the instructor’s approval, in alignment with the learning objectives of the course.

Office hours

See the website of Barbara Roda

See the website of Alessandro Girolamo Rombolà