Good Health and Well-Being
Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, involves all sections of the Department across its three fundamental missions. It is addressed within each according to specific expertise, with interdisciplinary topics that characterize both the Department’s research and third mission activities.
The Department hosts CeSAL, the Laboratory Animal Housing Center, which carries out continuous training on the implementation of the 3Rs rule (Reduce, Refine, Replace) in the use of animals in biomedical research for the development of new therapies, in both basic and translational research serving public health. CeSAL provides ongoing support to university staff and to various institutions (CNR, LENS, Careggi and Meyer University Hospitals, IRCCS-Meyer) in all activities related to the correct application of legislation and relations with the Ministry of Health.
Teaching (discussion and in-depth topics with students)
The Drug Area
- Risk assessment and prevention for human health and the definition of lifestyles associated with health and well-being
- Description of etiologies and innovative treatments for non-communicable diseases: pharmacological approaches to cardiovascular risk factors, acquired heart diseases, and genetically based cardiomyopathies
- Risk factors for sudden cardiac death in young people
- Opportunities and limitations of pharmacological and nutraceutical therapies
- Mechanism of action of drugs and the socio-economic impact of diseases
- Rational bases and therapeutic appropriateness in drug use
- From knowledge of compositional characteristics to the choice of products included in our diet: impact on health
- The preventive role of a proper diet: critical tools to understand the characteristics of different foods
- From concepts in food chemistry to knowledge of the composition of foods of both animal and plant origin, and of processing and preservation methods that may affect quality, underlining the importance of a correct diet for human health prevention
- Health and well-being of individuals: the One Health approach
- Safe use and conscious management of chemicals used for teaching purposes, in order to minimize potential negative effects on human health and the environment
- Determination and analysis of bioactive substances, drugs, and foods
- Well-being, socialization, and participation of students during laboratory practice: sharing common issues to stimulate teamwork, improve learning, and promote psychological well-being
- Synthetic techniques of Green and Click Chemistry and good practices for setting up a reaction in compliance with environmental and operator safety standards
Health across the lifespan
- Tools to improve patients’ health and quality of life
- Quality of care and neonatal resuscitation
- Strategies for effective health education for children’s future
- Neurological teaching aimed at promoting health and well-being through the training of future doctors and healthcare professionals
- Knowledge of the nervous system, neurological diseases, and their clinical management: providing students with the fundamental tools to develop skills in brain health, improve patients’ quality of life, and prevent neurological disabilities
- Disseminating and sharing public health concepts by addressing topics related to psychological well-being
- Providing fundamental knowledge and skills for the professional use of tools useful for measuring—and consequently promoting—psychological health
- Presentation of tests and questionnaires for measuring well-being (and related constructs such as quality of life), highlighting their usefulness in assessment and intervention programs aimed at promoting physical and psychological health
Research
- Development of new knowledge on etiopathologies and advances in innovative, including biotechnological, treatments
- Pathogenetic mechanisms of central nervous system diseases, identification of new therapeutic targets, efficacy and safety of new drugs
- Discovery of new drugs for pain therapy
- Functional characterization of new potential targets and newly synthesized drugs for neurodegenerative diseases
- Pharmacological targets and therapy in specific groups of interest: gender pharmacology, specific issues in the elderly and developmental age
- Design and development of new pharmacological approaches for the treatment of human and veterinary diseases
- Protective properties of natural molecules obtained from agricultural by-products
- Design of new drugs for oncological and infectious diseases
- Search for biologically active compounds as drug candidates
- Improvement of quality of life and outcomes of patients with epilepsy
- Advances in neonatal resuscitation care and strategies
- Innovative tests for simultaneous measurement of multiple cognitive functions in neurosurgery: strategies aimed at best preserving brain functions essential for good quality of life
- Study of neural correlates mediating cognitive control, particularly inhibitory control
- Development of procedures (computerized tasks, virtual environments) aimed at enhancing inhibitory control
- Study of factors that modulate sleep quality and the relationship between sleep characteristics and cognitive processes: promoting interventions to improve sleep quality and individual well-being
- Development, validation, and adaptation of tests and questionnaires to measure well-being (and related constructs such as quality of life), highlighting their usefulness in assessment and intervention programs for psychophysical health promotion
- Development and adaptation of tools to measure prevention in the context of risk behaviors, behavioral addictions, and psychological well-being
Third Mission
- Enhancing the knowledge produced by research for the development of new drugs through interaction with the pharmaceutical industry
- Raising awareness and knowledge about well-being by involving the public in open seminars
- Disseminating and promoting the results of research outputs (e.g., assessment tools, intervention methods) through regional, national, and international projects aimed at promoting well-being and quality of life in various contexts
- Promoting education and continuous training for the care and maintenance of health
- Encouraging joint patent applications with UniFI during international valorization stages
- Promoting the responsible use of drugs and vaccines during pregnancy and the perinatal period
- Promoting perinatal health and well-being through prevention, training, and outreach initiatives in collaboration with third-sector organizations
- Raising awareness of the impact of research activities on the general population’s health and well-being through large-scale prevention activities
- Encouraging participation in IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO) working groups for the evaluation of carcinogenic activity of various chemical substances.
Last update
17.09.2025