- Docente: Manuela Ferracin
- Credits: 2
- SSD: MED/04
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Medical Biotechnology (cod. 9081)
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from Jan 19, 2026 to Jan 29, 2026
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will learn how to design biomarker studies for disease diagnosis and prognosis. The course will provide essential biostatistics knowledge, intended as statistical reasoning to unlocking the data gathered by researchers and the evidence presented in the scientific literature. Students will learn how to use this knowledge to critically interpret data concerning medical biomarkers, prediction models, markers of therapeutic outcomes, decision tools derived from the application of –omics technologies in oncology.
Course contents
Lecture 1: Predictive, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers; Biomarkers in treatment decision making and monitoring; Optimum biomarker selection, validation and application; Basics of statistics in medical papers. Introduction to GraphPad software.
Lecture 2: The path from biomarker discovery to clinical practice: examples from the real world. In-class exercise with GraphPad.
Lecture3: How to find biomarker information using scientific websites. From –omic gene expression data to biomarker identification: bioinformatic approaches. In-class exercise with GraphPad and other bioinformatic tools.
Lecture 4: Critical reading of research papers. Business opportunities with biomarkers. In-class exercise.
Readings/Bibliography
Original research articles and slides will be provided by the teacher
Teaching methods
The course will be structured as follows
- frontal lectures with PowerPoint slides
- in-class exercises
- discussion of original research articles on topics related to the lectures
Assessment methods
Attendance to the course is mandatory to sustain the exam.
Student learning will be checked at the end of the course with a written exam (for the Biomarkers course). Eligibility will be granted at the end of the exam.
To pass the Integrated Course, and obtain the corresponding CFUs, the student needs to be deemed eligible in all the individual courses of FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH (I.C.).
Teaching tools
Teaching slides and materials will be made available at Unibo e-learning website virtuale.unibo.it
Links to further information
Office hours
See the website of Manuela Ferracin
SDGs
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.