MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Advanced PhD courses aim to develop the knowledge acquired in the different PhD specialties. They are short courses, with a variable format, made up of curricular units or training modules specific to 3rd cycle study programs.

The aim of this course is for participants to understand the relevance, basic principles and applications of biomarkers, as well as the technologies involved in their detection and monitoring, from the biomarker identification phase to validation, their impact on drug discovery and the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases.

This course is primarily aimed at FFUL PhD students, but it does welcome the participation of external members of the academic and scientific community.

Coordination:

Elsa Margarida Teixeira Rodrigues, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

Joana São José Dias Amaral, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

Cecília Maria Pereira Rodrigues, Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

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Legislation:

Regulamento n.º 638/2016 – Regulamento dos Cursos Não Conferentes de Grau da Faculdade de Farmácia da ULisboa

This course will run from October 13, 2025 to October 17, 2025, and will take place in a blended learning format (b-learning), at a time to be defined.

The course has a total of 40 training hours, which are equivalent to a total of 6 ECTS.

The training hours are distributed as follows:

Theoretical training hours: 21 hours
Practical hours: 9 hours
Tutorial hours: 12 hours

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COURSE PROGRAM

The syllabus for this course covers the latest advances in clinical and translational biomarkers, including patient selection and predicting response to therapy, liquid biopsy and circulating biopsy and circulating DNA, complementary diagnostics and personalized medicine, the development and validation of biomarker assays and biomarker-based clinical trials. The new frontier of digital health and its impact on drug development and diagnostics will be explored, covering emerging digital biomarkers and their usefulness in clinical trials, advances in biosensors and portable devices as clinical endpoints, integration of mobile health into drug development and the latest applications in point-of-care testing and remote patient monitoring.

TEACHING METHODOLOGIES:

Seminars:
Various lectures will be given by nationally and internationally renowned researchers covering fundamental concepts in biomarker research, including the definition of biomarkers, types of biomarkers and their roles in different fields, such as diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. The technological platforms used in the discovery and validation of biomarkers will be covered, such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and imaging techniques, and the strengths and limitations of each platform will be discussed, highlighting their applications in different biomarker contexts. The translational aspects of biomarkers will be explored, discussing the journey from discovery to clinical implementation. Finally, real-world ethical challenges will be discussed in order to encourage critical thinking about the responsible conduct of biomarker research.

Practical workshops:
Practical workshops on experimental design will be held, guiding students in the
biomarker discovery and validation experiments, providing hands-on experience in using various technological practical experience in using various technological platforms and data analysis and bioinformatics tools tools relevant to biomarker research.

LEARNING AND THE SKILLS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE STUDENT:

Participants in this course are expected to acquire knowledge of:

• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the principles and methodologies related to the discovery, validation and application of biomarkers in various scientific fields.
• Understand the translational aspects of biomarker research, bridging the gap between basic science discoveries and clinical applications.
• Develop proficiency in the critical evaluation and synthesis of existing biomarker literature and keep abreast of current advances in this field.
• Integrate knowledge from different disciplines, including molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and clinical sciences, to address complex questions related to biomarker research.
• Design experiments for the identification and validation of biomarkers using appropriate research methodologies and technologies.
• Apply advanced statistical and bioinformatics tools for the analysis and interpretation of biomarker data, ensuring rigorous and reproducible results.
• Collaborate with colleagues, mentors and external stakeholders, promoting a culture of knowledge exchange and collaboration.
• Develop critical thinking skills to identify challenges in biomarker research and propose innovative solutions.
• Develop skills to write competitive research proposals and secure funding for biomarker-related projects.

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY:

The course will have two evaluation components:

The course evaluation consists of the preparation and presentation of a 2-page letter of intent (LOI) for a research project. Students are grouped together to form multidisciplinary teams. Each group works for two weeks on a research project that should reflect the theme of the course, including methodologies and strategies for solving an innovative research question.

The project must comply with the following general structure:

• Title;
• Conceptual obstacle and innovative idea to be tested;
• Plan and methods;
• Relevance (scientific and social impact).

Students will select a research topic and must propose a specific project. The resulting LOI will be assessed according to the following criteria and weighting:

• novelty and relevance (30%);
• approach to the problem (30%);
• multidisciplinary approach to the research plan (40%);

Application period: from September 2, 2025 to October 4, 2025

Course start and end date: October 13, 2025 to October 17, 2025

Admission requirements:

Master’s degree in health-related sciences such as pharmaceutical sciences, biology, biochemistry, medicine, biomedical engineering, among others.

Scientific areas or specialization:

Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Sciences

Selection and ranking criteria:

Be enrolled in FFUL’s Doctoral Program in Pharmacy, or enrolled in a PhD program, at the time of registration.

Minimum number of trainees: 08
Maximum number of trainees: 25

Fees and tuition:

Application fee: €10 (Note: the application fee will not be refunded if the candidate is excluded or not selected).
Course fee: 250€
School Insurance: 2,10€

Note: FFUL doctoral students who wish to take the course as part of their compulsory 1st year curricular component are exempt from paying the application fee and the Course Fee.

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Application Process:

Applications for the course are made exclusively through the FenixEdu Platform of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon (FFUL).

Access to the FenixEdu Platform:

• If you have never been a student at FFUL you must pre-register on the FenixEdu Platform.
• If you are a former student of FFULisboa and have already had an account campus@ulisboa or @edu.ulisboa.pt you should access the FenixEdu Platform and authenticate yourself with your account data. If you have lost access to your account, you can recover your password in the ULisboa users area.
• If you are a former student of FFULisboa and have never had an account campus@ulisboa or @edu.ulisboa.pt you must send an email to cncg@ff.ulisboa.pt indicating your full name and ID document number.

Access the FenixEdu Platform.

• On the tab “Candidate”, choose the type of application: “Advanced Training Courses”, select the desired course.
• Fill out the online form and attach all the required documents in digital format. In the application process you can indicate whether you want the invoice to be issued in the name of another entity/company/institution.
• Select the “Submit” option.

Applications will only be validated by the Academic Services once the applicant has paid the Application Fee.

For information regarding the application process and the course organization, please contact the Academic Office: doutoramentos@ff.ulisboa.pt