Pharmacology

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Give examples of drugs that act on the neuromuscular junction and describe their mode of action.
• Name important classes of cardiotropic and diuretic drugs and explain how they control cardiovascular function and are applied in the treatment of heart and circulatory disease.
• Outline important peptide and steroid hormone systems and how their selective manipulation by pharmacology are applied for clinical benefit including contraception and exemplar metabolic disorders.
• Define the difference between analgesia and anaesthesia. Name the distinct classes of local and general anaesthic drugs. Outline the important chemical and pharmacological principles that define how local and general anaesthics are applied biomedically
• Explain the mechanism of action of several classes of antibiotics to outline how pharmacology can be applied to treatment of bacterial infection
• Explain how drugs enter the body/tissues and some of the mechanisms responsible for their subsequent removal.
• Outline the main methods by which drugs have been developed, designed and brought to market. Describe these outlined principles by utilizing some specific examples.
• Outline the concepts that explain underpinnings of pain. Describe two major classes of analgesics and how their pharmacology is applied for the mitigation of pain.
• Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to: Describe the basic mechanism of drug receptor interactions and the quantitative analysis of these interactions. This will include applying the law of mass action and drug receptor interactions and its use to obtain quantitative estimates of agonist and antagonists binding.
• Outline key principles pharmacogenomics to explain how the genome impacts the way in which drugs interact with biological systems
• Describe the mechanisms of action of drugs with distinct mode of actions that modify autonomic nervous system.
• Describe the ways in which selective drugs interact with the distinct classes of receptors mediating the action of the neurotransmitters histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine
• Describe the biological basis for the production of prostaglandins. Explain how distinct classes of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can be applied to mitigate fever, inflammation and pain.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Extract primary data for description and discussion in the style of a scientific publication. Utilizing distinct modes of action to explain drug selectivity on functional outcomes.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Interrogation of the literature to identify bona fide sources and extraction of evidence based information and synthesis into report writing.

Disciplinary Specific Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Describe utilizing drug classes discussed across the course how drugs interact at both the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic levels. Outline how these principles inform on the wiser use of drug combinations.

Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Receptors structure and function, Pharmacogenomics and exemplars of drug classes that underpin current therapies.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, lab based practical class, class and paper based calculations (dry practical's), independent study. This independent study include reporting data in form of a scientific paper and assimilation of a current topic in applied pharmacology in the form of a structured mini-review.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Ritter/Flower/Hemderson/Loke/MacEwan/Rang (2019). Rang and Dale's Pharmacology. Elsevier Press.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External