SU512: Basic Pharmacology (5 ECTS)

STADS: 29003201

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: jdemey@health.sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
Passed BMB521 Metabolic and Hormonal Regulation, passed SU514 Anatomy and Neurobiology for Pharmacists. SU502 Medical Physiology must be known. Students who have passed SU503 cannot participate in SU512.

Course introduction
Introduce the students to the general principles of drug action and give them a knowledge of the mechanisms in diseases that can be affected by drugs. Give the students a thorough knowledge of pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics.

Qualifications
The students should be able to

• Assess and discuss drugs related to the treatment of patients based on pharmacological theory
• Use quantitative data/graphics to classify drugs according to their molecular mechanisms of action

Expected learning outcome
Knowledge and understanding: After this course the students must

• Prove a thorough knowledge of the effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action at the molecular level, the cellular level, the organ level and on the whole organism.
• Prove a thorough knowledge of medicinal dosage, absorption, protein binding, distribution and excretion via the kidney, bile or by biotransformation.
• Prove a thorough knowledge of the pharmacokinetics of drugs.
• Prove knowledge of the molecular basis of side effects, drug interactions and toxic effects of drugs.
• Prove knowledge of pharmacogenetics.

Skills: The students must be able to

• Describe, classify and interpret effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action at the molecular level, the cellular level, the organ level and on the whole organism.
• Describe, classify and interpret medicinal dosage, absorption, binding, distribution and elimination at the molecular, cellular, organ level and on the whole organism.
• Calculate the main primary and secondary pharmacokinetic parameters: clearance, volume of distribution, elimination constant and half-life.
• Describe and classify adverse effects, drug interactions, toxicity and pharmacogenetics at the molecular level, the cellular level, the organ level, and on the whole organism and to evaluate the clinical significance of these.

Subject overview

• General principles of the effects and mechanisms of action of drugs and effects by influencing the protein receptors for natural ligands, ion channels, transporters, enzymes, DNA and RNA
• Quantitative aspects of drug binding to receptors
• Drug dosage, absorption, protein binding, distribution, cellular transport, renal excretion and biotransformation
• Pharmacogenetics
• Molecular mechanisms of side effects and drug interactions
• The pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system
• Dopamine, serotonin and GABA
• Histamine and antihistamines
• Peptides and amino acids as neurotransmitters
• Eicosanoids and immunopharmacology

Literature

• Brøsen et al: Basal og Klinisk Farmakologi, 5. udgave, 2014.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:

1. 4 hour written exam (4,5 ECTS), with external censorship and grades according to the Danish 7-point scale. (29003202)
2. Report based on practicals (0,5 ECTS), Pass/fail, internal evaluation by teacher. (29003212)

Reexamination in the same exam period or immediately thereafter.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 26 hours
Skills training phase: 20 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 14 hours
 - Laboratory exercises: 6 hours

Educational activities
Participation in the introduction to the practicals is obligatory.

Language
This course is taught in Danish or English, depending on the lecturer. However, if international students participate, the teaching language will always be English.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.