Molecular techniques for the study of gene functions:
Genetic engineering.
DNA gel electophoresis.
Plasmid DNA isolation from bacterial cultures and DNA gel extraction.
PCR.
Cell cultures:
Culture media.
Primary, Immortalized and Transformed cells
Growth Factors
Instrumentation and work area.
Cell cryopreservation
Sterilization and cell contaminations.
Cell count.
Study of gene expression:
Transfection techniques.
Constitutive and Inducible Promoters.
Retroviral and Lentiviral Vectors.
Gene silencing: RNA interference and Gene Editing.
Cell Signaling.
Antibodies and their use for protein analysis.
Production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.
Hybridomas.
Antibody purification by affinity chromatograhy.
Antibody labeling
Biochemical techniques for analysis of protein expression and functions: from SDS-PAGE to western blotting.
Fluorescence
Flow cytometry: basic concepts and applications to cell biology and clinical pathology.
Cell cycle analysis.
Methods for analysis of cell apoptosis.
Light microscopy.
Epi-fluorescence and confocal microscopy.
Basic concepts and applications to the study of the molecular signaling:
From immunofluorescence to the use of fluorescent proteins and their variants.
Use of fluorescent proteins in confocal microscopy: FRET, Split-GFP, fluorescent sensors of biological events.
In vitro and in vivo techniques for the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in the control of cancer progression:
Cell proliferation assays
Cell migration and invasion assays
From basic science to the development of new drugs:
Pre-clinical research in innovative models of cell culture in vitro (spheroids, organoids).
Pre-clinical research in animal models for the study of cancer progression in vivo.
Clinical trials in man.