Week 1 - Fundamentals of Pharmacology (1) PDF

Week 1 – Introduction to Applied Pharmacology Dr Charlotte Moffett  Module Aims The module is designed to familiarize students with core pharmacology, including how drugs act, where they act, how they reach the site of action, how drug actions are terminated,...

Week 1 – Introduction to Applied Pharmacology Dr Charlotte Moffett  Module Aims The module is designed to familiarize students with core pharmacology, including how drugs act, where they act, how they reach the site of action, how drug actions are terminated, and how such knowledge can be applied to drug selectivity. The module facilitates critical reflection and evaluation of evidence based practice highlighted from a pharmacology perspective, in order to further enhance student’s research informed practice and higher skills.  Module Learning Outcomes Successful students will be able to: Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of applied pharmacology, including the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs (pharmacokinetics), drug targets / actions (pharmacodynamics), drug toxicity, and drug development / regulation. Provide a detailed description of established and emerging topics in systems pharmacology and chemotherapy, including mechanisms of action of a variety of drugs, and their application to treat, manage, and combat disease. Conduct and record systematic literature searches using a range of databases, applying and integrating relevant pharmacological knowledge from a variety of sources. Critically discuss the value of evidence-based practice in the sciences, engaging in independent learning and evaluating scientific literature in a critical manner. Assessment 70% Exam 30% Coursework Coursework 20 % - Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Case Study 10% - 2 Class Tests (MCQ’s, short answer questions and calculations)  Exam paper format Section A Section B Section C Worth 30% of overall mark Worth 30% of overall mark Seen question Choose 1 question essay-type question taken from the systems ‘making reference to the Worth 40% of overall mark pharmacology part of the published literature, provide an 20 mcq’s (10%) module: in-depth discussion of the pharmacological properties and 10 short answer questions (20%) Respiratory system mechanisms of action of an anti- 2 calculations (10%) Cardiovascular system diabetic drug you have investigated. Your answer must Musculoskeletal system include recent research advances Endocrine system and future perspectives in the general field of anti-diabetic Nervous system drugs.’ Antibiotic chemotherapy Cancer Chemotherapy Seen Question ‘making reference to the published literature, provide an in-depth discussion of the pharmacological properties and mechanisms of action of an anti-diabetic drug you have investigated. Your answer must include recent research advances and future perspectives in the general field of anti-diabetic drugs.’ Each individual student Report MUST include the following information, specifically restricted to the assigned antidiabetic (found on BBLearn) drug (noting not all of these topics should be of equal length): 1.Discovery, structure, class and associated physiochemical properties (around 200 words). 2.Principal mechanism of action including drug-target interactions (around 250 words). 3.ADME (around 350 words). 4.Toxicology and contraindications (around 200 words). 5.Latest research advances (around 300 words). Subdivisions of Pharmacology Biotechnology- Traditionally the production of drugs by biological means (e.g. antibiotic production from microorganisms, production of monoclonal antibodies). More recently refers to the use of recombinant DNA technology for the manufacture of therapeutic proteins, diagnostics, genotyping, production of transgenic animals etc. Pharmacogenetics- The study of genetic influences on responses to drugs. Pharmacogenomics- Uses genetic information to guide the choice of drug therapy on an individual basis. So far the concept is largely theoretical. Pharmacoepidemiology- The study of drug effects at the population level, assessing the variability between individuals in a population, and between populations. Pharmacoeconomics- A branch of health economics that aims to quantify in economic terms the cost and benefit of drugs used therapeutically. What is Pharmacology? The study of the effects of chemical substances on the function of living systems. Pharmacodynamics Pharmacodynamics Pharmacodynamics is the quantitative study of the relationship between drug exposure (concentrations or dose) and pharmacologic or toxicologic responses. The response of the receptor may be affected by the presence of drugs competing for the same receptor, the functional state of the receptor or pathophysiological factors such as hypokalaemia*. *(Hypokalemia is defined as a serum potassium concentration