SMIMB1041U Pharmacology

Volume 2026/2027
Education

This course is a compulsory course for students at Copenhagen University's Master of Industrial Drug Development (MIND).

Content

The pharmacological concepts, methodologies and techniques are fundamental for modern drug development. As a discipline it does not fit in for one particular part of the drug development process. Instead it is applied continuously throughout the lifetime of a drug candidate. Thus, basic pharmacological knowledge is important for those who want to possess an integrated view on the effects and behavior of the drug candidate from discovery throughout clinical development. The classical disciplines of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are addressed separately to be familiar with the theoretical background behind these disciplines. Pharmacology also bridges the preclinical phase with clinical trials and thus is central in the translation of animal data to the human situation.

The course will teach the basic concepts of general pharmacology. Emphasis is on pharmacokinetics with hands-on calculations. It runs over two days and is computer aided. There is a focus on experimentalin vitroandin vivotools and on animal experimental models for various diseases including modern experimental techniques.

The course covers the following areas:

  • General pharmacology (pharmacodynamics)
  • Pharmacokinetics (basic concepts, extra vascular dosing using a one-compartment model, IV administration using 1- and 2 compartment models, elimination: metabolism and excretion, hands-on calculation in an Excel spreadsheet)
  • Exploratory pharmacology (measurement of pharmacological effect, safety pharmacology)
  • In vitropharmacology, concepts and methodology (eg ADME; biomarkers; metabolism; transporters)
  • In vivopharmacology, methodology (animal models for cardiovascular diseases, obesity, bone and joint diseases and pain; behavioral animal models.)
Learning Outcome

Upon completion of the course, participants are expected to be able to:

Knowledge

  • pinpoint the role of pharmacology in the drug development process
  • demonstrate basic knowledge of pharmacology
    • its basic concepts regarding PD and PK
    • itsin vitromodels
    • itsin vivomodels
    • its experimental tools
  • identify basic pharmacokinetic parameters
  • identify ADMET and safety pharmacology aspects

 

Skills

  • interpret raw pharmacodynamic data sets
  • calculate and interpret raw pharmacokinetic data sets
  • rank compounds delivered from discovery for further action in development
  • conduct validation applied inin vitromethods
  • conduct validation applied inin vivomethods

 

Competencies

  • integrate a pharmacology perspective in the planning of the various stages of the drug development process
  • handle translational aspects in a pharmacological perspective
  • communicate professionally using pharmacology terminology

The syllabus comprises collections of review papers, textbook chapters, case stories and hand-outs from course presentations, in total approximately 250 pages.

We recommend that applicants are familiar with linear and non-linear regression using MS Excel.
Lectures in the morning. Problem solving and cases (group work) in the afternoon. Afternoon sessions concern pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic problem solving, construction of own disease model and biomarker selection. Hands-on pharmacokinetics with computer simulation.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 35
  • Preparation
  • 23,75
  • Exam Preparation
  • 8
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 67,75
Written
Oral
Collective
Credit
2,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination under invigilation
Type of assessment details
Oral examination

Assessment details: (physical presence), 20 minutes preparation with all course material (no internet), 5-10 minutes oral presentation by the student (written notes allowed), and 10-15 minutes of  Q&A on the topics and also other content of the course.
Aid
Written aids allowed

 

 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

Oral examination

Assessment details: (physical presence), 20 minutes preparation with all course material (no internet), 5-10 minutes oral presentation by the student (written notes allowed), and 10-15 minutes of Q&A on the topics and also other content of the course.

Seeexam schedule.

Re-exam

Oral examination

Assessment details: (physical presence), 20 minutes preparation with all course material (no internet), 5-10 minutes oral presentation by the student (written notes allowed), and 10-15 minutes of Q&A on the topics and also other content of the course.

See dates in theexam schedule.

Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve a grade of 12, the student must be able to:

Knowledge

  • pinpoint the role of pharmacology in the drug development process
  • demonstrate basic knowledge of pharmacology
    • its basic concepts regarding PD and PK
    • itsin vitromodels
    • itsin vivomodels
    • its experimental tools
  • identify basic pharmacokinetic parameters
  • identify ADMET and safety pharmacology aspects

 

Skills

  • interpret raw pharmacodynamic data sets
  • calculate and interpret raw pharmacokinetic data sets
  • rank compounds delivered from discovery for further action in development
  • conduct validation applied inin vitromethods
  • conduct validation applied inin vivomethods

 

Competencies

  • integrate a pharmacology perspective in the planning of the various stages of the drug development process
  • handle translational aspects in a pharmacological perspective
  • communicate professionally using pharmacology terminology