BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

This course falls within the framework of the educational supplementary activities related to the master's degree course in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies. The primary objective is to extend students' skills from the purely chemical-analytical field to the chemical-bioanalytical field. This course covers advanced analytical methods and devices aimed at the analysis of molecules of biological and biomedical interest, such as proteins, nucleic acids, drugs. The biological macromolecules will be presented both as analytes to be determined with appropriate methodologies, and as reagents suitable for the selective and sustainable analysis of a large number of molecules of biological and biotechnological interest. The course will give an overview of the most classic bioanalytical methods, and then will treat the innovative methods and devices such as enzymatic biosensors, immunosensors and DNA-chips, with particular attention to the role played by nanotechnologies not only in the field of analytical chemistry, but also in the rising field of precision medicine.

1. Knowledge and understanding
i) Acquire knowledge on the relationships between molecular structure and methods of analysis of proteins and polynucleotides.
ii) Acquire knowledge of the basic principles of the analytical methods related to enzymatic, immunochemical and nucleic acid hybridization.
iii) Understanding the innovative role that nanotechnologies and nanomaterials are playing in the field of bioanalytical chemistry.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
i) Understanding which methodologies should be taken into account to optimize the use of biomolecules as analytical reagents to devise a reliable biosensor.
ii) Capability to evaluate which bioanalytical method is the most suitable to solve a specific bioanalytical problem, such as the recognition and the quantitative determination of molecules of biological and medical interest.

3. Ability to judge (depending on the in-depth analysis of the subject matter during the course)
i) Evaluate comparatively the effectiveness of different analytical strategies to choose the most suitable method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of biomolecules or molecules of biological and medical interest.
ii) Develop critical skills in the evaluation of the analytical performances of the methods based on (or devised for) molecules of biological, biotechnological and medical interest.

4. Communication skills
i) Learn the use of the correct scientific terminology of the analytical and bioanalytical field.
ii) Improve the oral communication skills by discussing (5-10 min) with the other students and the teacher a scientific article related with the course and suitably chosen through bibliographic and electronic sources (see next point 5).

5. Learning skills
i) Demonstrate to have acquired the principles and concepts on the topics covered by the teacher during the class by implementing the learning process through bibliographic and electronic sources.

The student must be familiar with the basic concepts of both classical and instrumental analytical chemistry and biochemistry. Specifically, it is warmly recommended to have successfully passed the Advanced Analytical Techniques and Laboratory exam.

- Analytical chemistry of biological molecules.
- Biological molecules as analytical reagent.
- Enzymatic analysis by spectrophotometry.
- Immobilization of biomolecules: coupling between bioselective layers and analytical transducers.
- Electrochemical and optical biocatalytic sensors. First, second and third generation enzymatic biosensors.
- Immunochemical analysis and immunoassay RIA, EIA, ELISA. Labelled and label-free immunosensors.
- Nucleotides, nucleosides, DNA, RNA. Denaturation, hybridization, intercalation. Analysis of nucleic acid sequence. DNA-Arrays and biochip.
- Micro and nanotechnology in bioanalytics. Use of functionalized nanoparticles for protein analysis and nucleotide sequences
- Applicative examples of commercial bioassays and biosensors.

A. Manz, N. Pamme, P. S. Dittrich, D. Iossifidis. Bioanalytical Chemistry. 2nd ed., London: Imperial College Press, 2015.
D. L. Nelson, M. M. Cox. Lehninger – Principles of Biochemistry. 7th ed., New York City: Macmillan Education, 2017.
J. Janata. Principles of Chemical Sensors. 2nd ed., Dordrecht: Springer, 2009.
A. J. Bard, L. R. Faulkner. Electrochemical Methods. Fundamentals and Applications. 2nd ed. New York City: Wiley, 2002.
Notes
The material used by the teacher during classes will be made available in the platform “Moodle”.

Oral exam.
The oral exam consists of a series of questions, which the student must answer to, thus proving her/his knowldge and understanding of the topics covered by the course.
The correct language and the acquired ability to identify and critically evaluate the appropriateness of the studied bioanalytical techniques will be evaluated.
The oral exam generally lasts approx. 30 minutes, depending on the clarity and appropriateness of the answers to the questions.

Teaching is organized in lectures. The learning of the theoretical principles underlying modern bioanalytical techniques could be integrated with the visit of laboratories where some of the techniques discussed are applied, depending on the availability of the above-mentioned laboratories.
Slides and lecture notes used by the teacher for the lessons will be made available to download from the “Moodle” platform, accessible from the university web-site.

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1. Sustainability. The use of biological molecules for analytical purposes is certainly more sustainable than classical methods of analysis since it allows: i) to drastically reducing the use of toxic and polluting reagents; ii) to lowering the volumes of both samples and reagents (and, therefore, reducing the cost and problems related to waste disposal); iii) to using mild operative conditions (atmospheric pressure and ambient or near-ambient temperature). Moreover, the use of low cost instrumentation allows the application of the methodologies presented herein to improve the quality of health control in view of a point-of-care test, also in the developing countries.
2. Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion. Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments:
Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding supportservices and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). In the case of disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters), please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE COURSE COULD CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC.

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