Aim

This advanced course aims to provide PhD students with a comprehensive understanding of primary cilia, their functions, and their implications in health and disease. Primary cilia are hair-like structures located on the surface of eukaryotic cells and regulate relevant function as photoreception, chemosensing, mechanosensing, autophagy and neuromodulation, among others. Genetic mutations in ciliary proteins lead to ciliopathies, which manifest clinically as nephropathy, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Furthermore, some recent evidence suggest that primary cilia dysfunction is closely associated with aging process and several age-related disorders, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. This advanced course will explore the mechanisms by which primary cilia influence these conditions and the potential for pharmacological and genetic interventions to mitigate their dysfunctions.

Program

Available here.