Scuole

LLP
Socrates

Intensive Programme 2011

Design, Synthesis and Validation of Imaging Probes


Description

The purpose of the Intensive Programme (IP) in "Design, Synthesis and Validation of Imaging Probes" is to develop an in-depth and up-to-date training covering the design, synthesis and characterization of imaging probes, including their functionalization and labeling for different imaging modalities.

This IP will be addressed to Master and PhD students in biology, chemistry or physics. The participation of 20 Master/PhD students from the partner universities will receive a support of the European Commission - Erasmus Programme to attend the course.

The Intensive Programme will be hosted at the Department of Chemistry IFM of the University of Torino in the period September 19th-30th, 2011.

To apply: please see below at the application section.

  • Coordinator: Dario Longo
  • Assistant Coordinator: Walter Dastrú
  • Coordinating Institution: University of Torino (Italy)
  • Location: Molecular Imaging Center, Via Nizza 52 - Torino (Italy)

Partners

INSTITUTION Local Coordinator Contact
UnipmnUniversitá degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro" (I)Mauro Botta mail to
Antwerp Universiteit Antwerpen (B) Annemie Van Der Linden mail to
Univ Paris Sud 11 Université Paris sud 11 (F) Alain Prigent mail to
INSTN Institut National Des Science Et Technologies Nucleaires (F) Elena Ceccarelli mail to
Creete University of Creete (GR) Giannis Zacharakis mail to
UniMons Université de Mons-Hainaut (B) Robert Muller mail to
Coimbra Universidade de Coimbra (P) Carlos Geraldes mail to
Unipmn Eindhoven University of Technology (NL) Klaas Nikolay mail to
Unipmn University of Debrecen (HU) Imre Toth mail to


Schedule


Nr. Day The programme of lectures and other activities
1 - Arrival of the foreign students - welcome
2 1 Overview of Imaging Probes for MRI / PET-SPECT / OI
3 2 Introduction to MRI mechanism of action and principles / Gd- and Mn-based contrast agent: theory and properties / MRI imaging experiments
4 3 Responsive contrast agents and iron-oxide particles for MRI applications/ relaxometric characterization of contrast agents
5 4 Introduction to CEST and hyperpolarized contrast agents: properties and applications / preparation and in vivo evaluation
6 5 Nanoprobes: definition and exploitation for multi-modality imaging purposes / preparation, in vitro and in vivo characterization and detection
7 - Visit to Turin main historical buildings
8 - Free activities / Taste of italian gastronomy
9 6 Basic principles of probe design and synthesis / properties required by MRI contrast agents / introduction to cellular labelling
10 7 Strategies for the development of imaging probes / basic principles of ligand and peptide synthesis / cellular labelling experiment
11 8 Procedures for ligand syntesis and purification / peptide synthesis practical session
12 9 Introduction to peptide conjugation and to crommatography / imaging probe synthesis practical session
13 10 Ultrasounds for probe preparation procedure and HPLC practical session / final remarks devoted to the elucidation of the most important issues of the IP and final students evaluation
14 - Departure

Location

The IP 2011 will take place from 19th to 30th september 2011. Lectures will be held at the Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, Torino.

Students will be accommodated at EDISU, a student residence held by the University of Torino in Corso Lungo Dora Siena, 150, Torino and at Open011, a residence located in Corso Venezia, 11.

The following services are included:

  • Breakfast
  • Blankets, bed linen and towel (changed once every 7 days)
  • Cleaning (once every 7 days)
  • Free internet connection

Information on how to reach the location of the IP from airport or by train and on how to reach the lecture room from the residence will be sent to you by email.

Application

  • The application for our Intensive Programme must be made exclusively by submitting the registration form to the corresponding local coordinator. The deadline is set at 30th of July, 2011.
  • The selection procedures are undertaken by each corresponding local coordinator at their partner institutions, who will decide whether to confirm that those applicants are well prepared and motivated to attend the programme. This process will continue up to completion of the 25 available places.
  • Scholarships are offered to students from the partner institutions. If you are applying for a scholarship, please notice that you will have to participate in all the 10 successive days of the programme. If you are planning to attend less than 10 successive days of the programme, you are not eligible for a scholarship and your expenses cannot be reimbursed.
  • In case you have been selected to participate in the IP (with/without fellowship), please submit the following document, saved as a pdf file:
    • copy of your passport (or id card for EU applicants).
    • an official document certifying your enrollment to a partner University for the current academic year.
    • flight electronic ticket (or a scanned copy of your flight ticket). Please notice that only tickets from/to your home institution can be reimbursed (this only applies to students who have been awarded a scholarship).

Additional info / News


Lecture notes

Mon, 19th Tue, 20th Wed, 21th Thu, 22th Fri, 23th
Wellcome and IP introduction(Silvio Aime) NMR and MRI introduction (Walter Dastrú) Hyper-polarized contrast agent (A. Viale / F. Reineri) Iron oxide particles (Robert Muller) Strategies for cellular labeling (Simonetta Geninatti)
Imaging Probe: an overview (Silvio Aime) Gd(III) complexes: mechanism of action and relaxometric properties (Mauro Botta) Hyper-polarized experiment(F. Reineri / W. Dastrú / A. Viale) CEST agents: basic principles, mechanism of action and classification (Enzo Terreno) Nano-particles for Multi-Modality Imaging(Klaas Nicolaij)
Optical imaging probes (Giannis Zacharakis) Mn-based Contrast Agents (Annemie Van der Linden) Gd(III) complexes: basic relaxometric characterization (Eliana Gianolio) Responsive MRI Contrast Agents (Giuseppe Digilio) NanoProbe practical session I(D. Delli Castelli)
PET and SPECT radiochemistry : Selected examples of Labelling of Macromolecules (Frederic Dollé T1 / T2 measure experiments (W. Dastrú Relaxometric characterization of Gd(III) complexes and NMRD/17O analysis(E. Gianolio / S. Baroni / F. Arena / D. Longo) NanoProbes(Enzo Terreno) NanoProbe practical session II(D. Delli Castelli)
Mon, 26th Tue, 27th Wed, 28th Thu, 29th Fri, 30th
Physico-chemical properties of Ln(III) complexes (Carlos Geraldes) Basic principles and procedures of solid phase peptide synthesis (Lorenzo Tei) Computational design of Imaging Probes(Dario Longo) Preparation of Imaging Probes underbesid power utrasounds/microvawes irradation(Giancarlo Cravotto) Analytical HPLC(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge)
Gd(III) complexes: the importance of kinetic and thermodynamic stability (Imre Toth) Developing an imaging probe(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge) Ligand synthesis part II(Luciano Lattuada) Peptide modification and conjugation to probes (Lorenzo Tei)HPLC separation: from analytical to preparative method I(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge)
Design of Imaging Probes (Alessandro Barge) MRI assessment of the cell labeling experiment (Simonetta Geninatti / Walter Dastrú Basic principles of chromatographic separation techniques (Alessandro Barge) Synthesis of metal-based imaging probe(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge) HPLC separation: from analytical to preparative method II(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge)
Ligand synthesis part I (Giovanbattista Giovenzana) MRI assessment of the cell labeling experiment(Simonetta Geninatti / Walter Dastrú Peptide Synthesis(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge) Peptide Cleavage(Lorenzo Tei / Alessandro Barge) Final consideration and remarks / Final student assesments