SFKK18004U In-vitro Techniques in Biochemistry and Pharmacology
MSc Programme in Pharmacy (Danish programme cand.pharm) - elective
MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Danish programme cand.scient.pharm) - restricted elective
MSc Programme in Medicinal Chemistry - elective
MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (English programme)- restricted elective
MSc Programme in Environmental Science (SCIENCE) - restricted elective
The following practical elements are included: neurotransmitter transporter assay, iPSC model of Parkinson's disease, protein stability assy, activation of GPCR receptors and ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion-channels, receptor binding, TEVC electrophysiology, second messenger measurements, FRET, use of radioisotopes, pharmacological profiling of unknown compounds.
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
Knowledge
- demonstrate a firm knowledge of in vitro pharmacology
- understand common in vitro experimental methodologies as applied in pharmacology
- demonstrate a basic knowledge of pharmacodynamic theory
- demonstrate a basic understanding of radioisotope theory in scintillation counting
Skills
- The students will acquire practical and theoretical abilities and skills in pharmacological in vitro research techniques that are applicable in both academic and biotech/pharmaceutical drug discovery research environments. The specific aim is to acquire the abilities and practical skills required to be able to work in a pre-clinical drug discovery research environment and/or communicate proficiently with other professionals.
- charecterise cortical neurons differentiated from human iPSCs by immunocytochemistry and qPCR
- execute neurotransmitter uptake experiments employing cultured neurons
- measure cAMP (second-messenger) in cultured cells by FRET
- conduct protein stabilization assays
- employ two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) electrophysiology technique as a functional assay of drugs affecting the operation of ion channels
- employ radioligand binding assays in drug investigations and interpret the resulting pharmacologial data
- determine the pharmacological profile of a series of unknown compounds
Competences
- work with and/or communicate proficiently with other professionals within the field of in vitro pharmacology
- design simple in vitro assays of drug activity including choosing the proper model system and assay conditions
- calculate and interpret pharmacological data (dose-response relationships)
- apply knowledge of in vitro pharmacology to evaluate pharmacological data in relation to the drug discovery process
- Lab manual (Pless)
Tutorials: 18 hours
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 4
- Class Instruction
- 16
- Preparation
- 158
- Practical exercises
- 28
- Total
- 206
Open for credit transfer students and other external students. Apply here:
Credit transfer students:
Credit transfer student at SUND – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Other external students:
https://healthsciences.ku.dk/education/student-mobility/guest-students/
Credit transfer and other external students are welcomed on the course if there are seats available and they have the academic qualifications.
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- On-site written exam, 2 hours under invigilation
- Type of assessment details
- Examination design:
The course examination will consist of 20 short-answer questions covering the practical and theoretical aspects of all the laboratory exercises and tutorials.
All written answers will be given an equal weighting and then the course leaders will assess the overall examination performance level. - Aid
- Without aids
Find more information about written on-site exams in the exam rooms, incl. information about standard programs on the exam PCs at KUnet
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Re-exam
10 or fewer students registered for reexam:
Type of assessment: Oral examination
Assessment details: 15 minutes examination
Preparation: 20 minutes
Aids: None
Criteria for exam assesment
To achieve the grade 12 the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- demonstrate a firm knowledge of in vitro pharmacology
- understand common in vitro experimental methodologies as applied in pharmacology
- demonstrate a basic knowledge of pharmacodynamic theory
- demonstrate a basic understanding of radioisotope theory in scintillation counting
Skills
- execute neurotransmitter uptake experiments employing cultured neurons
- characterise human iPSCs
- measure cAMP (second-messenger) in cultured cells by FRET
- employ isolated mouse vas deferens to measure the effect of morphine-like pain-relieving drugs
- conduct protein stabilization assays
- employ two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) electrophysiology as a functional assay of drugs affecting the operation of ion channels
- employ radioligand binding assays in drug investigations and interpret the resulting pharmacologial data
Competences
- work with and/or communicate proficiently with other professionals within the field of in vitro pharmacology
- design simple in vitro assays of drug activity including choosing the proper model system and assay conditions
- calculate and interpret pharmacological data (dose-response relationships)
- apply knowledge of in vitro pharmacology to evaluate pharmacological data in relation to the drug discovery process
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- SFKK18004U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree MasterFull Degree Master choice
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 1
- Schedule
- C
- Course capacity
- 56 students
Study board
- Study Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Contracting department
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Stephan Pless (stephan.pless@sund.ku.dk)
Lecturers
Announced at the course start.