SHUA13053U Pharmacology and Toxicology

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Human Biology - compulsory
MSc Programme in Molecular Biomedicine - elective

Content

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.

Learning Outcome

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
Literature

Absalon

Lectures, laboratory exercises and theoretical exercises
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 58
  • Preparation
  • 120
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Exam
  • 4
  • Total
  • 206
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
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. 

 

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
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