Principles of Pharmacology with Research Methods

Course Content:

Research methods and employability skills are taught within the context of
pharmacological research and associated industries. Students are introduced to the
basic concepts of pharmacodynamics (how drugs take their effect at given targets) and
drug disposition/pharmacokinetics (the effect the body has on administered drugs),
whilst considering the factors which influence such parameters and thus lead to
individual variability in drug response.

The module goes on to discuss the principles of toxicology, how drugs are discovered and
developed, and the role of pharmaceutical sector / regulatory bodies in this process.

Autumn Semester summary: Pharmacolodynamics, Drug disposition (absorption,
distribution) Pharmacokinetics; research skills & statistics.

Topics covered may include:
? Research Methods: further statistics, experimental design & SPSS; use of
research literature; scientific communication and presentation; ethical issues
? Employment skills: career options; investigation of business industry; selfreflection;
teamwork/project management
? Introductory Pharmacology:
Pharmacodynamics: Basic pharmacological definitions; Targets for drug action;
Pharmacological definition of receptors and receptor superfamilies; Drugs acting
at receptors both as agonists (full and partial) and antagonists (competitive and
noncompetitive); Concept of the dose-response relationship. Phenomena of
tachyphylaxis and desensitisation to drugs.

Spring Semester summary: drug disposition (metabolism, excretion) Pharmacokinetics,
Drug Development & Clinical Trials, Toxicology.
? Introduction to the concept of toxicology: Mechanistic targets of toxicant
action; Measurement of toxicological parameters.
? Drug / toxicant disposition and kinetics: Routes of administration of drugs;
Mechanisms of, and factors influencing, drug / toxicant absorption,
distribution, metabolism and excretion;
Pharmacokinetics: One compartment models; concept of volume of
distribution, half-life, elimination, clearance and steady state. Differences
between intravenous and oral dosing.
? Individual variability in drug and toxicant response: Classification of
response variability (dynamic or kinetic); Effect of age, environment, diet,
disease, genomics and differing physiological states on the response to drugs
and toxicants; Adverse drug reactions.
? Drug development and clinical trials: Overview of the pharmaceutical
industry; Drug design and identification of a target site; Animal usage and the
law; Preliminary drug screening using in vitro and in vivo models; Concept of
risk assessment and preclinical safety testing including the validity of using
animal data; Clinical trials; phase I - IV trials, trial design and the information
gained at each phase; The role of the ethics committee in the clinical trial
process and the relevant regulatory bodies in product licensing and postmarket
monitoring.

Teaching: Lectures, seminars, workshops and laboratory practical sessions

Assessment:
STUDY OPTION 1:
? Exam (50%)
? Practical: Group oral presentation (20%)
? Coursework: Critical review (30%)
STUDY OPTION 2:
? 2 practicals & group oral presentation
STUDY OPTION 3:
? 1 practical
? modified examination

Study Option 1 = Whole Year
Study Option 2 = Autumn
Study Option 3 = Spring/summer