SHUA13053U Pharmacology and Toxicology
MSc Programme in Human Biology - compulsory
MSc Programme in Molecular Biomedicine - elective
To give students an understanding of molecular pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics including detailed insight into drug effect and side-effects. To achieve knowledge about each therapeutic group and its effects. To obtain knowledge of toxicology and poisoning caused by pharmacological treatment and to avoid such poisoning, and to build a capacity to assess the efficacy and any toxicities of new medicinal products.
After completing the course the student is expected to:
Knowledge
- Comprehensive knowledge of the main therapeutic groups to which the drugs of the drugs list belong, which includes their known or presumed action mechanism at the molecular and cellular level and the primary side effects.
- Comprehensive knowledge about the pharmacological action of pharmaceuticals affecting any of the major organs in the human body.
- Comprehensive knowledge about the effect of drugs from its action on its target to the biochemical and physiological effector reactions in the cell or system
- Comprehensive knowledge about the systemic action of major drug classes both in terms of physiological action (changes in body homeostasis) and psychological actions (perception as subjective effects by the individual).
- Comprehensive knowledge about effects and side effects/unwanted effects of any given drug.
- Knowledge about drug pharmacodynamics with particular focus on what constitutes the affinity for a drug to its target.
- Knowledge of the principles behind pharmaceutical-receptor binding including the characteristic properties of agonists, antagonists, partial agonists and inverse agonists.
Skills
- Use drugs to inhibit or activate a given in vitro or in vivo system for the study of biological systems.
- Use the knowledge about current drug treatment of a given disease to assess novel potential treatment plans.
- Acquired the skill to establish an experimental setup which can determine the affinity of a drug for its target
- Acquired the skill to experimentally assess whether a ligand is an agonist or an antagonist.
- The ability to employ pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles in the assessment of therapeutic and adverse effects of pharmaceuticals
- The ability to explain the importance of external factors on the effects of pharmaceuticals (polymorphy, social factors, age, disease)
- Use the acquired knowledge about each main therapeutic group in the assessment of any given pharmaco-therapy, e.g. in collaboration with medical staff
- Use the acquired toxicological knowledge in the assessment of new drugs and products aimed at preventing poisoning
- Plan, perform and analyze fundamental pharmacology and toxicology studies.
- Setup assays to study and characterize novel potential drug candidates.
Competencies
- Discuss the overall principles of pharmaceutical absorption, distribution biotransformation and excretion
- The ability to use the mathematical principles behind plasma concentration development in pharmaceutical dosage
- Account for the action mechanisms of pharmaceuticals
- Describe the therapeutic potential and adverse event profile of pharmaceuticals
- Describe the main elements involved in the development of pharmaceuticals, including in vitro studies, animal studies and clinical studies
- Account for toxic reactions to pharmaceuticals
- Discuss the primary toxicological treatment principles by reference to relevant examples
- Perform toxicological assessments in connection with the use of pharmaceuticals as well as chemicals on the basis of concepts as accumulated dose-adverse effect graph, toxic and therapeutic index
Absalon
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 58
- Preparation
- 120
- Practical exercises
- 24
- Exam
- 4
- Total
- 206
Open for credit transfer students and other external students. Apply here:
Credit transfer students:
https://healthsciences.ku.dk/education/for-students/credit-transfer-students/
Other external students:
https://healthsciences.ku.dk/education/student-mobility/guest-students/
- Credit
- 2,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Requirement to attend classes
- Type of assessment details
- Approved participation in training activities and approval of assignments and reports
- Exam registration requirements
None
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- passed/not passed
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment
To achieve a course certificate, the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- Comprehensive knowledge of the main therapeutic groups to which the drugs of the drugs list belong, which includes their known or presumed action mechanism at the molecular and cellular level and the primary side effects.
- Comprehensive knowledge about the pharmacological action of pharmaceuticals affecting any of the major organs in the human body.
- Comprehensive knowledge about the effect of drugs from its action on its target to the biochemical and physiological effector reactions in the cell or system
- Comprehensive knowledge about the systemic action of major drug classes both in terms of physiological action (changes in body homeostasis) and psychological actions (perception as subjective effects by the individual).
- Comprehensive knowledge about effects and side effects/unwanted effects of any given drug.
- Knowledge about drug pharmacodynamics with particular focus on what constitutes the affinity for a drug to its target.
- Knowledge of the principles behind pharmaceutical-receptor binding including the characteristic properties of agonists, antagonists, partial agonists and inverse agonists.
Skills
- Use drugs to inhibit or activate a given in vitro or in vivo system for the study of biological systems.
- Use the knowledge about current drug treatment of a given disease to assess novel potential treatment plans.
- Acquired the skill to establish an experimental setup which can determine the affinity of a drug for its target
- Acquired the skill to experimentally assess whether a ligand is an agonist or an antagonist.
- The ability to employ pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles in the assessment of therapeutic and adverse effects of pharmaceuticals
- The ability to explain the importance of external factors on the effects of pharmaceuticals (polymorphy, social factors, age, disease)
- Use the acquired knowledge about each main therapeutic group in the assessment of
- any given pharmaco-therapy, e.g. in collaboration with medical staff
- Use the acquired toxicological knowledge in the assessment of new drugs and products
- aimed at preventing poisoning
- Plan, perform and analyze fundamental pharmacology and toxicology studies.
- Setup assays to study and characterize novel potential drug candidates
Competencies
- Discuss the overall principles of pharmaceutical absorption, distribution biotransformation and excretion
- The ability to use the mathematical principles behind plasma concentration development in pharmaceutical dosage
- Account for the action mechanisms of pharmaceuticals
- Describe the therapeutic potential and adverse event profile of pharmaceuticals
- Describe the main elements involved in the development of pharmaceuticals, including in vitro studies, animal studies and clinical studies
- Account for toxic reactions to pharmaceuticals
- Discuss the primary toxicological treatment principles by reference to relevant examples
- Perform toxicological assessments in connection with the use of pharmaceuticals as well as chemicals on the basis of concepts as accumulated dose-adverse effect graph, toxic and therapeutic index
- Credit
- 5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- On-site written exam, 4 hours under invigilation
- Type of assessment details
- ...
- Exam registration requirements
None
- Aid
- Without aids
It is not allowed to use own computers, USB memory sticks, mobile phones and other electronic devices to the exam.
It is allowed to use Mathtype og Maple.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
- Re-exam
In case of 10 or fewer students registered for re-exam
Type of assessment: Oral examination
Assessment details: 20 minutes examination
Preparation: 20 minutes
Aids: None
Criteria for exam assesment
To achieve the grade 12, the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- Discuss the overall principles of pharmaceutical absorption, distribution biotransformation and excretion
- Explain the mathematical principles behind plasma concentration development in pharmaceutical dosage
- Discuss the principles behind pharmaceutical-receptor binding including the dose-response curve for agonists, antagonists and partial agonists.
- Explain the importance of external factors on the effects of pharmaceuticals (polymorphy, social factors, age, disease)
- Discuss the main therapeutic groups and give examples of the most relevant drugs. This includes their known or presumed action mechanism at the molecular and cellular level and the primary side effects.
- Discuss the primary toxicological treatment principles by reference to relevant examples
- Explain different phases in the development of a pharmaceutical - from idea to finished medicinal product, including principles and methods used to discover and develop pharmaceuticals, particularly in the field of biotechnology
Skills
- Employ pharmacodynamic and kinetic principles in the assessment of therapeutic and adverse effects of pharmaceuticals
- Use the acquired knowledge about each main therapeutic group in the assessment of any given pharmaco-therapy, e.g. in collaboration with medical staff
- Perform toxicological assessments in connection with the use of pharmaceuticals as well as chemicals on the basis of concepts as accumulated dose-adverse effect graph, toxic and therapeutic index
- Use the acquired toxicological knowledge in the assessment of new drugs and products aimed at preventing poisoning
- Plan, perform and analyse fundamental pharmacology and toxicology studies
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- SHUA13053U
- Credit
- See exam description
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 3
- Schedule
- See Syllabus
- Course capacity
- 40 participants
Study board
- Study Board for Human Biology, Immunology and Neuroscience
Contracting department
- Department of Neuroscience
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Claus Juul Løland (cllo@sund.ku.dk)