University of Pisa Summer - Winter Schools & Foundation Course
Summer School in Computer-Aided Drug Design
- Pisa, Italy
- Baratti, Italy
Course
DURATION
5 days
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 500 / per course
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus, Distance Learning
Key Summary
About: The Computer-Aided Drug Design Summer School at The University of Pisa is an intensive course in computational drug discovery. It combines lectures and hands-on tutorials in molecular docking, dynamics, virtual screening and AI. Participants complete a project and receive a certificate and 3 ECTS. It accepts students and researchers with chemistry, biology or pharmaceutical backgrounds. It runs on-site at Polo Fibonacci, Pisa and online; it activates with 12 students and admits up to 50.
Career Outcomes: You'll gain skills in molecular modelling for roles like computational chemist and drug discovery researcher in biotech, pharma, CROs, academia and clinical settings.
The Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) International Summer School is an intensive course aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the main computational methods applied to drug discovery.
The program combines theoretical lectures with hands-on tutorials, enabling participants to acquire practical skills in structural analysis, molecular docking, pharmacophore modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, and virtual screening.
At the end of the course, participants will have developed an independent computational project and will receive a certifi cate of attendance including learning objectives and activities carried out.
The course is accredited with 3 ECTS by the University of Pisa (or equivalent).
The Summer School is open to undergraduate and graduate students, PhD candidates, and senior researchers from academia, research institutes, hospitals, and industry, with a background in chemistry, biology, or pharmaceutical sciences. The course is offered both on-site in Pisa and online, with a maximum number of participants admitted for each modality.
Main topics covered include:
- Visualization and analysis of protein–ligand complexes
- Basic Linux commands and computational environment setup
- Molecular docking and evaluation of docking reliability
- Pharmacophore modeling
- Molecular dynamics simulations
- Virtual screening approaches
- Applications of artificial intelligence in drug discovery
The Summer School will be activated with at least 12 students. The maximum number of participants is set to 50 students.
The Summer School will be held on campus, in Pisa, at Polo Fibonacci, via Filippo Buonarroti, 3
The program will be activated also in distance learning mode (TEAMS platform).
- Provide a solid theoretical and practical foundation in computational methods for drug design, including docking, pharmacophore modeling, molecular dynamics, and virtual screening.
- Enable participants to independently perform a complete computational workfl ow, from structural analysis to predictive modeling.
- Develop critical thinking and evaluation skills by discussing advantages,
limitations, and possible errors of computational methodologies. - Foster interdisciplinary integration by connecting chemistry, biology, informatics, and pharmacology.
- Promote scientific collaboration and dissemination, encouraging participants to exchange ideas, share results, and explore future research directions.
- Award ECTS credits andcertifi cation, attesting the skills and competencies acquired during the course.
ECTS: 3
Undergraduates and PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and senior researchers from Universities, research institutes, clinics and industries are welcome.