SCI 337 Pharmacology

Content

The functioning of the (diseased) human body can be affected by medicines, which act through a variety of molecular mechanisms. In this course a study of two diseases (hypertension and cancer) will be used to illustrate the physiological and pharmacological principles which are used for rational drug development and use. The importance of neuronal, hormonal, immunological (whole body) and biochemical (whole cell) regulation for proper physiological and cellular function, and dysregulation during pathological processes are emphasized. Identification of potential drug targets and the interaction of drugs with macromolecules (enzymes, cell surface receptors, and signaling molecules) as the main pharmacological principles are central in this course. Quantitative pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and statistical methods are used. At the end of the course students will be able to explain the effectivity of existing drug therapies in a rational way in terms of the molecular targets, the cellular actions and the physiological consequences of pharmacological treatment. They will be able to suggest targets for drug development on the basis of pathophysiological insights and to apply pharmacological models when describing concentration-response, time-concentration, and time-response relationships of drugs.

Instructor

Dr. Andries Koster

Track

Biomedical Science

Period

Fall / 2010

Evaluation/Assessment

Assessment of students is based on group and individual work. The group work consists of a written team report (20%), an oral team presentation (20%) and a critical evaluation of the report of another team (10%). Each student has to finish an individual mid-term exam (20%) and a final exam (30%). In the final exam (open-book) the students are required to apply physiological and pharmacological concepts in the context of a disease, which has not been treated explicitly during the course (relevant information is supplied, however).

Course Material

The following textbook is used as a resource during the course:

• Golan DE et al. (eds.): Principles of Pharmacology; The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy (2nd ed.), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 2010, ISBN 0-7817-8355-0.

Handouts, assignments, and simulation software will be made available free of charge.

Prerequisites

The following courses are required in order to take this course:

• SCI 131 Introduction to Life Science
• SCI 231 Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
• SCI 234 Human Physiology

Additional Prerequisites

• Some pathophysiological knowledge is highly desirable. This knowledge can be acquired in course SCI 261 (Mechanisms of Disease).
• Computer and information literacy (internet, literature search, spreadsheets, textprocessor, presentation software) is required.