Doctorate School in Pharmacology, Chemotherapy and Toxycology

Presentation

The University of Milan offers integrated and interdisciplinary opportunities for pre- and post-graduate training in all aspects of pharmacology, including molecular and cellular pharmacology, toxicology, clinical pharmacology, chemotherapy and medical toxicology. The training takes place by means of courses, seminars, journal clubs, progress reports and full-time immersion in research.

The Doctorate is a degree equivalent to a PhD, recognised by the European Universities.

Eligibility:

The School is open to students with an Italian degree in Biomedical Sciences, or an equivalent degree awarded by a foreign institution and recognised by the University of Milan.

Duration:

The PhD programme lasts three years. Students can spend part of this period in a foreign laboratory.

Places:

The number of student admitted can vary each year, but it's usually 12 or 13 . The six candidates obtaining the best results in the entrance examination are awarded a fellowship by the University of Milan; other fellowships may be available from the other Institutions participating in the programme.

Admission:

Applications should be made to the University of Milan, generally during the month of August: see here for precise details. The successful candidates are selected on the basis of the results of an interview by an Admissions Committee nominated by the Doctorate Faculty. During the interview, each candidate should expound an original research project elaborated by himself. The candidates will also be asked about foundamental aspect of pharmacology. The examination generally takes place in October or November; the precise date is indicated in the website of the University of Milan.

Costs:

The University fellowships include tuition fees, a yearly stipend and insurance coverage; the other students are required to pay their own tuition fees (see here for the exact amount).

Training

Courses

Each year of the programme includes two intensive courses covering the most important subjects in pharmacological sciences, two research courses on hot issues in modern pharmacology and biology, and a number of seminars (see Corsi in the Italian version of last year's course programme). The students are also expected to organise and participate in regular journal clubs and progress reports (see here).

Research

At the time of admission, students are required to select a research project from a list proposed by members of the Institutions involved in the School. They will work full time in a laboratory and be supervised by an experienced tutor who will be responsible for their scientific training. At the end of the training period, they are required to present an experimental thesis describing their work, which will be asessed by a Commission of experts.

The major research topics currently being developed at the various Institutions are in the fields of molecular and cellular pharmacology and toxicology (receptors, signal transduction, membrane and protein traffic, secretion, neuron-glial interactions, cell differentiation and development, control of gene expression, pharmacogenetics); the pharmacological control of endocrine functions, cardiovascular pharmacology, chemotherapy (new strategies in antitumoral chemotherapy, microbial antiviral chemotherapy, biotechnological vaccines, drug kinetics, clinical chemotherapy), toxicology (drug metabolism, environmental toxicology, cell models for toxicological investigations, mutagenesis, drug and toxic-compound surveillance), and clinical pharmacology in a clinical setting.

The titles of the doctoral theses will give an idea of the type of work it is possible to do.

Faculty

The PhD Faculty consists of a number of distinguished professors in the different fields of pharmacology. The names of the Faculty members are available following this link.

Institutions participating in the School

The School is based at the University of Milan's Department of Medical Pharmacology, but also involves other clinical and basic science Departments of the University of Milan, «La Bicocca» University of Milan and the University of Varese, as well as the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Section of the CNR Institute of Neuroscience.

Research facilities

In the Milan area pharmacological research is well developed both in the Academy and in the Industry. Academic pharmacological research is mainly dedicated to basic experimental pharmacology, but it also enjoys close collaborative relationships with University clinical institutions and industrial research laboratories. The main research facilities and techniques currently include classical pharmacological in vivo and in vitro methodologies, molecular and cellular biology techniques, confocal and electron microscopy, cellular electrophysiology, biochemical and ligand binding techniques, animal housing for all species, tissue culture facilities, P3 facilities for viral research, computer modelling, in vivo and in vitro toxicological techniques, and a very rich biomedical library. Details of the research facilities of the individual Institutions can be found by visiting ther repective home pages.

Accommodation

Single rooms are available for rent at the University's Student Houses. Information can be obtained from the ISU

History of the School

The PhD School in Pharmacology was founded in 1982. The list of previous students and the titles of their theses, as well as the list of past courses, gives a broad idea of the research fields covered by the School.

	UNIVERSITY OF MILANO-BICOCCA:	Depertment of Biology and Biosciences
	INSUBRIA UNIVERSITY, VARESE:	Department of Structural and Functional Biology
	CNR INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCES:	Section of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology