CITOGENETICA E ASPETTI BIOLOGICI DELLA DIAGNOSI PREIMPIANTO E PRENATALE
Module CITOGENETICA

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: Marco FICHERA

Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, students should be able:

To describe the types of genomic variants, the mechanisms of occurrence and to explain how these variations may be pathogenic. To understand the fundamentals of probability to calculate the genetic risk.  To explain and identify non-Mendelian mechanisms such as: reduced penetrance, variable expressivity, uniparental disomy, mosaicism, and genomic imprinting. To describe the genetic and genomic methods in prenatal and preimplantation diagnostic testing.

Course Structure

Frontal teaching and practical exercises.

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Required Prerequisites

Achievement of the educational objectives provided  by the preparatory courses, represented by the fundamentals of biology and genetics

Detailed Course Content

       •          The Chromosome structure and morphology
          Numerical chromosomal aberration and mechanisms of occurrence
          Structural chromosomal aberration and mechanisms of occurrence
          Uniparental disomy
          Imprinting
          Classical Cytogenetics  and banding techniques
          The karyotype and its diagnostic indications
          FISH analysis
          Array-CGH and pathogenic mechanisms of the CNVs
          SNP-array
          Statistical analysis of array signals
          Consanguinity and genetic risk
          Validation methods of genomic imbalances  (MLPA, RealTime-PCR)
          The use of whole genome sequencing for the identification of genomic structural variants
          Fundamentals of probability, independent and dependent events . The use of  Bayes’ theorem in the calculation of the recurrence risk. Positive and negative predictive values
          The whole genome sequencing in the identification of genomic structural variants
          Prenatal diagnosis: definition, indications and limits, non invasive (NIPT)  and invasive (methods e invasivi
         (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling). Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), genetic risk factors

Textbook Information

Book Title:Prenatal Diagnosis

Editors Brynn: Levy

Series Title: Methods in Molecular Biology


Slide fornite dal docente

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1•The Chromosome structure and morphology
2 Numerical chromosomal aberration and mechanisms of occurrence         Structural chromosomal aberration and mechanisms of occurrence  Uniparental disomy    Imprinting  Classicall cytogenetics  and banding techniques    
3Array-CGH and pathogenic mechanisms of the CNVsPages 171-186 from prenatal diagnosis
4SNP-array        Statistical analysis of array signalsPages 187-205 from prenatal diagnosis
5Consanguinity and genetic riskslides 45-50 fornite dal docente
6 Fundamentals of probability, independent and dependent events . The use of  Bayes’ theorem in the calculation of the recurrence risk. Positive and negative predictive valuesslides 55-70 fornite dal docente
7Validation methods of genomic imbalances  (MLPA, RealTime-PCR)Pages 129-170 from prenatal diagnosis
8 The use of whole genome sequencing for the identification of genomic structural variantsPages 85-102 from prenatal diagnosis
9•          Prenatal diagnosis: definition, indications and limits, non invasive (NIPT)  and invasive (methods e invasivi •         (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling). Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), genetic risk factorsPages 3-84 from prenatal diagnosis

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

Oral examination

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

1) Mechanisms in the occurrence of the CNVs

2) Invasive diagnostic methods ing prenatal testing

3) Technical and bioinformatic approaches for the identification of genomic structural variants using WGS

4) The identification of mosaicsm

5) The use and the technical background of  NIPT

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO